Things to Be Thankful For

In no particular order...

My wonderful and hard-working husband; my loving God; my supportive family; my encouraging friends; a roof over my head; clothes to wear; shoes on my feet; a more mild day outside during this brutal winter; my cat; the Well; wisdom; a warm bed to sleep in at night; answered (and unanswered) prayers; food to eat; unexpected blessings; grace; the kindness of people; books; dark chocolate; Reese's cups; growth as a person; Young Adult Bible Study; photography; thoughtful gifts; safety; kind neighbors; coffee; good health; God's Word; the Holy Spirit inside of me; hope; perfect peace; writing; a hot shower in the morning; Netflix; Pinterest; the opportunities that I've had to travel; God's financial provision; music; comfy clothing; flowers; fragrant candles; mountains; beautiful sunrises and sunsets; fuzzy socks; laughter...and I will keep adding to this list. It helps to lift me up when I'm feeling down. :-)

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Looking Unto Jesus

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~ Hebrews 12:1-2

It's amazing how the Lord can bring every aspect of my life together in one moment--to show me that He is in control, and that He has a wonderful purpose and plan for my future. I opened my Bible tonight to Hebrews 12:1-2, which is a favorite passage of mine, that encourages us as followers of Christ to fix our eyes on Jesus and what He has in store for us. Then He brought together my daily readings from 31 Days of Praise and Streams in the Desert in order to encourage me to stay on the course that He has prepared for me.

Father, I'm so delighted that You are both loving and sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love You, to those who are called according to Your purpose. So I thank You for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process You are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me anxiety or anger or pain. And I thank You in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days. In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resist my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends. Thank you that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work...that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance. I rejoice that You plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle...that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride). Thank You that You use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me the quality of endurance...that they prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that You and I both long to see in me...and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, as I keep my eyes focused on You. I'm grateful that You look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, You fulfill my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more like Your Son. ~ from 31 Days of Praise

Every difficult task that comes across your path--every one that you would rather not do, that will take the most effort, cause the most pain, and be the greatest struggle--brings a blessing with it. And refusing to do it regardless of the personal cost is to miss the blessing. Every difficult stretch of road on which you see the Master's footprints and along which He calls you to follow Him leads unquestionably to blessings. And they are blessings you will never receive unless you travel the steep and thorny path. Every battlefield you encounter, where you are required to draw your sword and fight the enemy, has the possibility of victory that will prove to be a rich blessing to your life. And every heavy burden you are called upon to lift hides within itself a miraculous secret of strength. ~ from Streams in the Desert

Thank you, Dear Jesus, for loving me so much that you take the time to speak to my heart. When I am discouraged, you restore my hope. When I am downtrodden, you renew my purpose. And when I am daunted by my own weaknesses, you remind me that true strength is found in You alone. I love you, Father, and I want to follow your path for me, no matter where it may lead. Amen. 

Joy in the Journey

In my parents' garden

Today was a rough day. I started out by oversleeping, getting stuck in traffic on my way to work, and arriving at my little cubicle with a feeling of defeat. If this was how my day was beginning, who knew what the remainder of my shift would be like? Nevertheless, I asked God for help and settled into my routine.

It just kept getting worse. I had leftover work from the day before, more work given to me in the morning, and before I was able to make a dent in any of that, even more kept piling on top. I started feeling anxious. How was I going to get all of this done? Would I be able to complete each of my tasks with excellence? I worked right through to the mid-afternoon mark without stopping, but finally realized that I was so overwhelmed that I needed to take a break. I heated up my frozen meal and headed out to my car. Blasting the air conditioning and getting comfortable in my car seat, I was at long last able to relax a little. I said a prayer: God, I can't do this. Please help me! I'm trying my best, but I feel like that's not enough. Thank you that it IS enough for You, and help me to continue to work at it with all of my heart, in order to please You, and to not worry about what other people think. I called my husband--he told me to take a few deep breaths, and he read to me a devotion from Our Daily Bread. What an amazing husband I have! Even though his day wasn't going any better than mine, he took the time to encourage me. I texted my mom to ask for her prayers, gobbled down my food, and headed back inside.

The afternoon proved to go better than my morning. I focused on my work, knocked a good amount of it out, and even though I didn't get everything done, I felt like I could breathe again. As I walked out to my car that at the conclusion of the day, I thanked the Lord for--once again--carrying me through.

Our God is good! In the difficult times, He teaches us to rely on Him more fully. He shows His strength in our weakness. He displays His glory through our feeble attempts at obedience. And all the while, He shapes us more and more into the people that He wants us to be.

There is joy in the journey!