Day threefour

Boy was I ever right. There is a need for a load of grace here. I am so thankful that we have it. Truly thankful. I've noticed something about myself lately. I start a lot of things & I start them really well. But, I leave most things unfinished. I could think of so many things silly and serious.

-Bible in a year (3/4 done)
-Every cup of cocoa or tea I make
-MANY bible studies and books
-EVERY new year resolution
-To do lists that I make practically every day

On and on the list could go. I know that some sound stupid. Especially the hot cocoa one. But believe me, I have gone to my mug so many times and realized that the beverage I wanted so badly has now gone to waste. I so easily turn to the next thing to do and forget about what I was in the midst of. Wow. This seems to me like a crazy revelation from the Lord.

Right before I started this little quest of gratitude I thought, "Oh MAN! It would be so awesome to blog every single day of the 31 days." I secretly knew in my heart that I wouldn't be able to. Now some of you would say that I could. I'm sure you are right and if I made myself somehow I could do something for that long each and every day. But I think that this lesson is bigger than that. I think that I get wrapped up in the things of this world so easily that the Lord doesn't want me to worry about finishing every little earthly project that I desire. He is just focused on the end goal. So with that, I will continue focusing my mind and heart and blog on Jesus and the thankfulness we should have for him.

Day Three: Appreciating Life

Here she talks about natural disasters, tragedy, and crisis in our lives. How we should appreciate the life that we have been given. After experiencing these things that our appreciation for our lives becomes even greater. Now, I haven't really been a part of something extremely tragic. Members of my family have died from terrible disease, friends I know have experienced great loss - but I haven't really been struck with a great crisis. On a small scale, my husband is sick. We need prayer. For weeks now his poor body has been fighting high fevers, dizziness, and pain. For what I hope will come a good ending and a good diagnosis - we really do not know. Without focusing too much on our circumstance, this is a perfect opportunity for being grateful. I can be grateful for the time that I have my husband because truly life will not be like this forever. I can be grateful that the Lord can use this circumstance for his greater glory and bringing people to a saving faith and knowledge of him. But boy is that hard. If I focus on what my body and flesh desire, I am sick of waking up 4-5 times during the night for two sick family members, tired of doing so much housework, and tired of not having my normal happy active husband around. But that is not what the Lord desires for this time and he is bringing me out of selfishness and self pity and into a greater selfLESSness and thankfulness.
What has made you appreciate life in a clearer way?

Day Four: Celebrating Friendships

We can all point to an event or experience that made us aware of the importance of giving thanks for special people. These occasions remind us that expressing gratitude is one of the most simple, yet most profound ways we can display our recognition of one of God's most precious gifts: the gift of friendship.

This comes at the perfect time for Chris & I. This week we have been shown God's love through the gift of friendship. We have many many amazing friends and for that we are so blessed. But this week in a week of barely any sleep, sickness, and emotional exhaustion some of our friends have gone above and beyond. Our friends the Deans watched Siena while we were at the lab, our friends the MacEwens brought us delicious dinner & dessert, and our friends the Lantings brought dinner, dessert, and breakfast for the next day. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord for these amazing people who have blessed us in a hard time.
What friends do you have that have that you are thankful for & why?


JOB Day 3- Write down the thing you are most grateful for regarding the gift of life
JOB Day 4- Make a list of friends you are grateful for and why

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**If you desire to cultivate a heart of thankfulness & are willing to try it for 31 days (give or take - there is always grace here) - post a comment during any of my blogs that relate to thankfulness.
I will send you a gift at the end to show my thankfulness for you. If you are curious what the JOB is read my post here.