I didn't glom onto Phillipians 4:6 because it was November and I was looking for verses about being thankful, the verse was mentioned in a Sunday sermon a few weeks ago and it was just what I needed for all the life circumstances I am facing. Here is my paraphrase of it, the one I have been carrying around in my head: Don't worry about anything, pray about everything, ask God for what you need and thank him for what he has done.
Thank him for what he has done.
Life is not without frustration or worry about the future, for my children, for our finances, for my hubby's health and for me I have felt spiritually numb for a long time. Not overwhelmed by some sin, not walking away from my faith,not engaged in some conflict with other believers, just kind of stuck and feeling very blah when it comes to my relationship with Jesus and the body of Christ. It's all there. It's easy to focus on that to the point where I forget what God has done in the past and the blessings I have before me.
But I am thankful for:
Our new puppy. Bart is an energetic little border collie, but something about the way he follows me from room to room, the way he is so glad to see every member of the family, the way he sleeps when I sleep and wakes up when I wake up, I feel a little more alive and filled with hope because of him
I am so grateful that even with three teenagers in my house all of whom come with their unique package of teenage angst and confusion, we have not faced any major problems with them
I am grateful for my Ladies Bible study. They have given me such a safe place to share
I am grateful that despite a down economy, I have found work as a writer
And with some prayer help, I went two weeks without nagging or "making suggestions" to my 19 year old son with Aspergers that he had to make some kind of plan for his future. God told me I needed to back off, I was wringing my hands, losing clarity because of my worry and saying things to my son that I regretted. I don't know how long the season of biting my tongue will last, God will give me the next steps when needed. ..and I am grateful for that too.
I am grateful that we have an abundance of Thanksgiving turkey this year. My husband's work gives a turkey to its employees and we earned a free turkey at the local grocery store for buying over $400 worth of groceries since they started the promotion in October. We will be able to donate one of those turkeys.
I am grateful that I have rediscovered C.S. Lewis' non-fiction and when nothing else spoke to me, nothing else drew me to God, his words have given me hope.
I thought of this list as I was writing the post and I could go on from there. Something I will probably do in a journal later this week. I encourage you to do the same. I know things can be pretty bleak for many of you because of financial and marriage troubles because of difficulty with children or health problems. But as an exercise for spiritual breakthrough, brainstorm a list of what you are thankful for, dig deep beyond your troubles.
It might be something small like the pleasant conversation you had with the check out lady at the grocery store, the way you were able to help someone who was lost or carry packages to their car...or maybe someone did that for you. It might be that you are thankful for the warm sweater you found on sale or someone gave to you. Small moments and little things give us hope too. It builds up, it accumulates. If you ask God, he will show them to you.
What are you thankful for. Let me know.
Sharon Dunn has a book coming out in December with Love Inspired Suspense called Night Prey. It's about a woman who rescues injuried birds of prey who finds herself in a little bit of danger. Read more about the book at www.sharondunnbooks.com.
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Posted by: blackjack en ligne | October 18, 2011 at 03:01 PM