A Pet Peeve - praise and prayer

You might be wondering why I write this blog ... or maybe not.  But way back at the beginning, I struggled with how much to share.  Afterall, I have family and friends who live all over the world.  I wanted to be able to tell the story ... once ... and not have to repeat over and over.  BUT I also didn't want to overshare or share things about the kids that wasn't mine to share.

So truthfully, I struggled with how much to say.

I noticed that when I would put a prayer request, the prayer was answered almost immediately.  So I began to share more and more.  Still not sure it's the 'right' thing to do, but it worked for me.

I also didn't want to do like one woman I know who put every single detail of her life on it.  It was painful to read so I stopped reading.  Or the woman who put every gruesome detail of her daughter's struggle to live down to her last breath and the tortures she endured during those last days/hours.  (That lady had a HUGE following!)  Or the woman who shares details of her kids' struggles that are so personal that I fear when those kids are grown, they will be embarrassed to know what is out there about them.

I am not doing it for fame or anything, just an outlet for sharing what is going on and asking for prayers.  And also to update when there are miracles we know about.

While writing this there are ways to track how many people are coming by.  And I've looked at it a few times.  Interestingly, when it's "bad" news, I have tons of visitors.  When it's good news, no one reads.  When it's sensational, people are all over it.

I think it's human nature.

So with that background ... here's my pet peeve.

Some people ONLY put out the bad news.  They never claim the good stuff.

There was a lady whose loved one was in the hospital and begged for prayers over and over.  And then next thing I know, I was asking for an update and the lady had been home for a week.  NOT A PEEP.

Something changed in the circumstances and yet nothing was said.

I personally believe that we should ask for PRAISE even more than we ask for PRAYERS.  (Not a church doctrine or anything, just a personal belief.)

Like yesterday I was asking God to help me find this piece of paper.  He did.  I spent MORE time praising Him for finding it than I did asking Him to help me find it.

I think some people don't because like in that case,  it might not have been God who helped me find the paper.  Maybe I found it all on my own.  But my thought is this ... what if He DID help me find it and I didn't praise Him or thank Him for it??  How ungrateful.

Or the close parking spot I got.  Or getting released from the hospital.  Or any number of requests.

I am certainly not saying I am a good example of this.  In fact, I need to spend WAY more time leaning on the side of praise and thankfulness than I already do.

My point?  If you ask God for something ... did you thank Him for it?  If you did this publicly, did you let the prayer warriors know it's time to shift from prayer to praise and thanksgiving?  

Or are you like most people ... that when we get what we want, we move on to the next thing we must have?

Therefore, this blog will continue to be about updates of the family.  There will always be prayer requests on here.  But I will also make a concerted effort to put more Good News on here.  Uplifting things.  Things to Praise about.

What about you?  You willing to make the shift?