Thanksgiving

I have been asked to speak at our Women’s Ministry Testimonies and Tea next month.  The topic is thanksgiving.  Not the holiday, the act.  Apparently some little birdie said I might have a few things to say on the topic.  Indeed, I do.  After reading Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, I have been challenged to live a life of gratitude.  That book is not something you can read and then not act on.  If you do, it’s like you are boldly saying NO to God, and who wants to do that?  So, I am saying YES!  And this little tea is just the thing I needed to spark some action in my life on the topic of thanksgiving.

It’s November now, and what I want my boys to be focusing on is gratitude.  I thought if I am about to set my eyes heavenward, why not invite them to join me?  If my eyes had been fixed heavenward when I was a child, how much more lovely would my life be today?  I am determined to help my children live an attitude of gratitude, and believe me, we are starting at ground zero!

Surprisingly, on November 1st when I asked my darling boys to name three things they are thankful for, there replies were:

God – because there would be no creation without God
Jesus – because he did for my sins
A family – to never be lonely

Seriously, you could have knocked me over with a feather.  I thought for sure the first words from their tiny mouths would be, Legos, Trains and pizza.  Guess what was first on my list of things I’m thankful for — boys with hearts for Jesus.  Amen.

If you have not picked up the book One Thousand Gifts, please do, and be prepared for your life to change.  I am taking the month of November to form a habit of gratitude for myself and my family.

I begin the month of November with these gifts:

1. Boys with hearts for Jesus
2. Time to spend living in the mess of homeschooling life
3.  Giggles coming from the family room with Peter Pan playing
4.  6 year old singing to praise songs on the radio, because he wants to “get his day off to a good start”
5.  Warm cider
6.  Halloween fun in our new neighborhood
7.  Plenty of shoes
8.  Sale on a winter coat
9.  a good friend who I can trust enough to be my whole honest self
10.  opportunity to serve God through my church

Let the praises ring!

 

31 Days — Surrendered

I threw up my white flag on the 31 Days challenge.  I knew it would be a stretch and with responsibilities and illness in our family it just didn’t work out.  I surrender!  Continue to blog about life, family, God, and all the joys of this life.

 

31 Days of Surrender — Day 12 Doubt

What?  Day 12…I officially missed a week of my 31 days due to a faulty power cord on my laptop.  The first two days I have to say I was feeling pretty guilty.  Then I let it go.  The first week of practicing surrender really helped me not be so hard on myself for missing a couple of days.

Now, let’s return to the 31 Days of Surrender with… surrendering my Doubt.  I struggle with this and I didn’t even know it until I confided in a godly friend about the way I feel about my relationship with God.  I feel like God is not close.  I feel like God doesn’t care.  I feel like God has forgotten about little old me.  I feel like I am less in God’s eyes.  My dear friend told me that it is not about how I feel.  When I listen to my feelings I am believing a lie if it does not line up with what GOD himself says He is. What is God’s character?  It seems like it was once so clear, but somehow in the muddiness of my life I have lost sight of who God is.  I praise Him.  I worship Him.  I pray to Him.  But my feelings have tricked me into believing untruths about his character.  This means that I must consult the Bible to find out about who God is. Without the authority of the Bible, any attempt to explain God’s character would be no better than an opinion, which by itself is often incorrect as I can testify to!

God is just Acts 17:31

God is loving Ephesians 2:4-5

God is truthful John 14:6)

God is holy 1 John 1:5

God is compassionate 2 Corinthians 1:3

God is merciful  Romans 9:15

God is gracious  Romans 5:17

God judges sin Psalm 5:5

but he offers forgiveness Psalm 130:4

I believe that God doesn’t lie, he is just and holy, and He does not go back on his word.  I do I really believe this.  But, how does He feel about me?

Because he delights in me, he saved me. (Ps. 18:19)

As a man rejoices over his new wife, so your God will rejoice over you. (Isaiah. 62:5)

Ahhh.  It’s like a breath of fresh air!  He doesn’t like me because I’m good enough.  He doesn’t take care of me because of a sense of obligation.  He looks at me and He revels in me just like I revel in my own children.  He cheers me when I triumph and he hurts for me when I fall.  He sent His beloved Son to die for ME.  If I was the only one in the whole world, He would have died just for me.  And He would have died just for you. 

So, the next time you doubt if you are good enough, worthy enough, beautiful enough, Remember this… If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart. And the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem? Face it, friend. He’s crazy about you — and me!