Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for-

• Pain.  Some days, I just have to make it my friend. I have to look right in its eyes and smile, because the JOY of the Lord is my strength and pain can not defeat me.
• Family. They are all crazy, but they're mine, and I fit in here.  
• Friends. Again, all crazy, but they make me smile.
• Giant bars of chocolate. Not an extravagant gift, but I don't need extravagance.  I just LOVE to know someone was thinking of me and remembered something I like.
• Team Epic.  We haven't even had a game and it doesn't matter.  These kids are EPIC to me. I can't even begin to say how much my spirit soars to watch them support each other. 

I am blessed beyond measure.  I haven't figured out if the joy comes from recognizing the beauty of the little things, or if having joy brings little things to bless to me.  I suppose it doesn't really matter since I intend to keep enjoying every little blessing the Father sees fit to give me.

Thankful Thursday-To hard to be Thankful?

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! ~ Psalm 30:11-12 (ESV)

There are days when my mourning seems too overwhelming to be thankful about anything. I'm having one of those weeks. I find though, that rather than focus on the sadness and the trials, my spirit is lifted when I focus on the things (no matter how simple) I can be thankful for. I miss my mother terribly..much more than I can possibly express to anyone who hasn't lost a parent....but sadness was never in her plans for me, as it's not in my plans for my children. So today, I'm thankful, even though it's hard.

1. I am thankful for a God who invites me to dance, and who provides the music entice me to join him.

2. I am thankful He chose to give me a mother who spent my youth encouraging me to trust Him.

3. I am thankful for Him allowing me to see my daughter overcome her fears, stand up in front of strangers and sing!

4. I am thankful He put encouraging women in my life who make me laugh when all I want to do is cry.

5. I am thankful for trial that push me closer to Him.

6. I am thankful for a husband that loves me in spite of all the "craziness" I seem to attract.

7. I am thankful for hugs from my children. I hope they never get "too big".

8. I am thankful for kitties who know just when I need a snuggle.

9. I am thankful for fuzzy socks that keep my cold toes warm.

10. I am thankful that God provides my needs, all of them, even the ones that seem "too small".

Thankful Thursday- Eternally Saved

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” ~ John 3:16-17
(ESV - emphasis mine)

I can't even wrap my mind around the concept of eternal. Our minds are so conditioned to everything having and end that the idea of forever just boggles me. I do understand that if I have to be somewhere with no end, the I want it to be heaven and not hell... :) Which brings me to the next highlighted part of that text..SAVED BY HIM. Oh what a joy that puts into my soul!! What peace just washes over me. I didn't have to be good enough. I didn't have to make enough money. I didn't have to have perpetual good hair days...HE saved me! He loved me! He did what I know I could never do on my own, to provide me a future I can't even comprehend. Gotta love a God who knows what's best for me and offers it to me even before I know I need it.

Thankful Thursday- Not to Fear...

“Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
~ Psalm 100:3-4 (ESV)

I'm hearing a lot of fear lately in all my
communications with others. Fear over the economy, fear over leadership changes, fear over just about anything you can name at any given moment. We were not made to fear. We are his! We are made to praise. We are made to accept his love and gracious gifts to us. He made us, he loves us he saved us. All he asks in return is our love and adoration. Fear chokes that out of us. Fear cripples us. Fear keeps us from receiving blessings and love from him. How do I fight fear you ask? Oh that's the easy part...you just praise. Enter those gates singing a song of joy to him. Dance before his throne with thanksgiving--I promise not to watch :)

It truly does not matter what is happening in the banks of America. New presidents are of little importance. God is God. He is big. He is Good. Nothing escapes his attention. He is more than able to meet your every need and no man can stop him. So fear not! This IS the day the Lord of Lords has made and you have every reason to rejoice in it!

10 Blessings

Many of the people in our church are emailing each other with the ten things they are thankful for each day. Here are mine for today

1. Forgiveness
2. A husband who loves me enough to provide for me
3. A son that is learning remorse for his actions
4. Girls who have more hormones than they need (its a blessing to know they are normal)
5. A dog that wears the goofy clothes I put on him
6. Kitties that like to snuggle
7. chocolate- and lots of it...
8. My back that is feeling better
9. Honesty among friends
10.Being able to give someone something they need

Thankful Thursday

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” ~ Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV-emphasis mine)

Its interesting that Thankful Thursday falls on the one month "anniversary" of my Mother's passing...even more interesting that this was the scripture chosen for today. The past month, I haven't really felt like a "chosen one". I've felt more like a "forgotten one". I know that we are not to be ruled by our feelings. I know that nothing separates me from his love. The fact is that as I focus on "me" and what I'm lacking, I forget to focus on Him. He hasn't forgotten me, I chose to look away. So as I ask for His forgiveness (again) I will also lift my praises and thanksgivings to him.

My thankful list today...
1. I am thankful he takes me back every time I come.
2. I am thankful for the family he put into my life to surround me with love.
3. I am thankful for the little things he uses to remind me of his love...a well timed card from a secret pal, small flowers that make it through the stormy night, and hugs in the grocery store from a friend I didn't expect to see.

Thankful Thursday

“Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.” ~ Psalm 149:2-4 (ESV -emphasis mine)

I have always loved “baby” grass. I am not quite sure at what point in my childhood I started calling it that, but the first grass of spring is my favorite. All those tiny, super bright green blades are definitely the first sign of spring for me. I am always afraid to walk on it and spoil the beauty. I want it to last forever, but it seems to only last for a few weeks before it changes- darker, wider, and stronger.

I think our lives are a lot like that baby grass. We are so fragile when we are born (and reborn). We are so fresh and new and….well, weak. Childhood goes spinning past us in a blaze of activity, fun and sometimes sorrows. We have parents and grandparents that tend to us and protect us.

As we mature and grow “wider” and hopefully stronger, we don’t need as much tender care. We still need our parents and mentors. We often need a good mowing and weeding to be honest. More than our appearance has changed. Our purpose has changed.

You see that stronger grass has a job to do. It holds the topsoil down. It feeds various animals (and bugs-icky) It seeds itself and reproduces. It gives my babies a nice soft place to land when they fall.

Weak baby grass is exciting and beautiful, but strong grass is necessary for survival. This has never been more clear to me than now, as I feel the loss of my mother. My Daddy God has blessed me with strong grass to fall into while I let Him help me heal. I'm so thankful my mother took the time to plant the seeds of faith and to tend to my "lawn" in preparation for my future. I hope I do as well a job with my kids.

Thankful Thursday

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” ~ Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

Where do I have to go but to you? Who else hears me when I cry? David probably captures the despair of the human heart better than any other person out there. I find it so interesting that a man who sinned against God so many times is also referred to by God as the apple of His eye. Could it be that my heavenly Father feels the same way about me? That He would love me past my sins and failures and be my strength and my shield? That I can put the trust of my heart in Him and be helped? YES YES YES! He promised to love me just as much as David and He proves it to me daily.

Today I am thankful that no matter how far my pride takes me from His will, He's always right there waiting for me to cry out so He can come save me.

Lets See, what am I thankful for today?

* My Savior- Who loves me and picks me back up every time I fall.

* The King- who constantly works so hard to make me smile.

* The Royal Offspring- for reminding me that sometimes we have to stop what we're doing and snuggle.