Above All Else

I am grateful for today 
I am grateful for yesterday 
I am hopeful for tomorrow 
God is the first and last and in-between 
I start in His name 
And end with His praise 
I create with His permission 
And am mindful of His bounds 
I rely on His support 
I believe in His abundance 
I know He will take care of my needs 
I have seen His hand in the events of my life 
The times He has carried me through it 
And those when He has let me stumble along on my own two feet 
Because I needed to learn for myself 
I am thankful for the difficulty 
I am thankful for the ease 
I am blessed to have the family, the friends, the home He has given me 
I am blessed to have the abilities and faculties with which He has elevated me 
I am sorry for the ways in which I have misused what He has gifted me 
I strive to do better 
I strive for His pleasure 
I strive for His approval 
For His approval is the only thing that matters in the end 
And it is Him I love above all else