(Melanie in her pj's and sporting her mom's karate gear.)

I haven't been around babies and toddlers on a nearly everyday basis since my own children were that young, so I'm getting old/new/recycled insights every week. I hope you don't mind that I share them with you.

Last week our daughter-in-love Ashley took Melanie (2 1/2) and Ryan (14 months) to the bank. They were all still in their pj's so they went to the drive-through. Directly across the road from the bank stands Walmart - a child's dream.

Melanie: "Mommy, I want to go the the store."

Ashley: "We don't need anything at the store."

Melanie: "But I want to go to the store."

Ashley: "We can't go to the store, Melanie, we're in our jammies."

Melanie: "But I want to go to the store, Mommy."

Ashley: "Melanie, we aren't going to the store."

(Pause) Melanie: "Just the same, Mommy, I want to go to the store!"

Those were her exact words - "Just the same, Mommy...".

The Lord wants us to go to Him with our desires and needs. He wants His desires to become our desires and for His will to become our will. Way too many times I've continued to say, "Just the same, Lord, I want..." after He's made it clear that particular request is not what He desires for me.

Do you relate? I'd love to hear your stories.

Okay, I'll admit it - I'm pretty excited about the release of my new Bible study "Joseph: Beyond the Coat of Many Colors". In fact, when I received my first copy from the publisher (AMG) I nearly cried. There it was - more than four years of hard work and my name in lights!! Well, not in lights, but on the cover of a book, anyway. Several people have written some pretty nice reviews about it, too. So, imagine my shock and disappointment when I Googled "Joseph: Beyond the Coat of Many Colors" and found several retail sites that have listed another AMG writer as the author of MY Bible study!! I know it's an honest mistake, but all my hard work, and now someone else is getting the credit!

Do you see where I'm going with this? How many times do we  take the credit, however unintentional, for the work someone else has done? We see it in politics all the time, in the work place, in families, and even in the church. But worst of all, think about how often God is denied, and credit for the creation of the universe is ignored or attributed to slime or a big bang. Imagine how He must feel when His glorious work goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

Let's remember to daily give credit where credit is due. Acknowledge someone for the good job they are doing no matter how insignificant it may seem. Most of all, let's give thanks for the work of our Creator.

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