Thankful Thursday Thoughts

I spend a lot of time in doctor's offices. Mostly for treatment of Lyme Disease but also for other problems that have come up in the last 3 yrs like a breast biopsy, trip to ER from a car accident, an abnormal EKG, cataracts, H Pylori stomach infection, reoccurring stubborn yeast and bacterial infections and a procedure today I choose not to name. I really do NOT like to go to the doctor so this has been a challenge for me. So how do I find thankfulness in all of this?

By going back to the same verse I mentioned in the previous post:

I Thess. 5:16-18 "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I am not thankful for my present circumstances and the challenges ahead, but I am thankful that in these circumstances I AM NOT ALONE. God is with me and His will for me can be trusted. His will for all of us can be trusted.

So today, thank you Lord for the wisdom and skill my doctors have. Thank you for nurses who care for their patients and procedures that give us answers when there are so many questions. Thank you for a husband who comforts and reassures me whenever it is needed. Thank you that on every step of my journey Jesus walks with me!

In All Circumstances

Last night I was rereading a post I had written on my other blog about both my husband Joel and I being crabby and out of sorts. I soon realized how down I sounded and started praying that Joel and I would find relief from our woe-be-gone attitude. Right in the middle of my prayers a verse from the Bible popped into my mind. On Sunday as I was watching Rick Warren's services online he talked about this verse in depth. Seems I needed the lesson before I even knew it...hmmmm God is always one step ahead isn't He.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

Please notice He does not say FOR all circumstances....He says, IN all circumstances. There is a big difference. Our circumstances may be challenging and overwhelming at times, but we can still find things to be positive and thankful for IN these circumstances.

I believe it is okay to “be in” and acknowledge all our moods....they are part of who we are. We just don't want to take up permanent residence in that place of negativity. Focusing on the burdens only makes them heavier...so maybe we sit with them for awhile, and then we try to empty the bag of burdens by turning our focus to gratefulness, thankfulness, and joy. Like in the musical “Annie” we can remember that the sun will come out tomorrow.....and when we give thanks in all circumstances....we are even able to see a break in the clouds right where we find ourselves today.

For more inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger at www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com

Thankful Thursday Thoughts

Today is my mother-in-love's 92nd birthday. I must be honest and confess that I did not always think of her that way. She and I were at odds over the years due to probably nothing more than her son being my husband. She did not understand me, and I did not understand her nor take her suggestions or at times criticisms very well. I built a wall between us. Distance in miles and differences kept us apart. Then a miracle happened.

About 10 years ago I started writing a newsletter for Chronically Ill Christians. I managed to send this out to around 145 people for close to 5 yrs before I became to sick to continue. My MIL was one of those I sent it to. It changed our relationship as she began to know and understand me. As I began to let down the walls I had built up and I learned to understand and accept our differences, we became closer than I ever thought possible. At this time in our lives I can easily say I love her dearly and she ends our conversations by saying she loves me. Isn't God's healing power amazing!

So, today, I give thanks for the woman who birthed my husband, and taught him about our Lord. I give thanks for the years she worked hard to help her husband maintain their farm, and then sustained her three boys by teaching school when her husband died young. I give thanks for what she has taught me about faith, endurance, and "cutting corners" to save a few pennies. I give thanks that she tells us in every conversation that she is praying for us!

Happy Birthday Mom T. !! May your year be filled with an abundance of blessings.

Spiritual Sundays: A Time of Preparation

This Sunday is the first of the four Sundays in Advent. A special time in the Christian church when we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus, God's son and our Savior.

Purchasing and wrapping gifts, sending out Christmas cards and letters, making breads and cookies, and decorating our homes and trees, are all a part of the preparations we make for Christmas. But we cannot stop there or we will lose sight of the meaning of this special season in all the activity and commercialism

When our children were home we made the effort to have special devotions every night starting with the first Sunday in Advent. We used an Advent Wreath with candles to light, told stories, read special devotions and scriptures, sang hymns, and prayed together. Each night one of the kids lit a candle or opened a "door" on the Advent Calendar. It was a time to stop, take a deep breath and center ourselves. The Christmas programs and special church services also kept our focus on waiting for Baby Jesus' birth. It was a time of anticipation and joy for all of us~ A time of expectant waiting. There are so many special memories of these times that I hold close to my heart. As empty nesters, we still make an effort to keep some of these traditions going. I am sure all of you have your own ways of keeping the "reason for the season" in your Christmas preparations.

As we begin once again this season of preparation, may we find joy and meaning in each and every day as we await the celebration of a small baby with the power to save the world!

For more inspirational posts stop by Spiritual Sundays: www.bloggerspirit.blogspot..com

Thanksgiving Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope and pray that your day has been filled with good food, good fellowship, and an abundance of blessings!!

Spiritual Sundays

From Max Lucado's booklet, "Give It All To Him".

W O R R Y

"Worry is the burlap bag of burdens. it is overflowing with 'whaddifs' and 'howells'. Whaddif it rains at my wedding.....Howell we pay our child's tuition.....etc. etc.

The burlap bag of worry. Cumbersome. Chunky. Unattractive. Scratchy. Hard to get a handle on. Irritating to carry and impossible to give away. No one wants your worries......Worry divides the mind. The Biblical word for worry is the compound of two Greek words that mean 'to divide' 'the mind'. Anxiety splits our energy between today's priorities and tomorrows problems. The result is half-minded living.

Jesus said, 'You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.' (Matt.6:27)

Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem or cured a disease!"

BUT JESUS HAS!

There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and at the top of my list is Jesus my Lord. Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it in November!

For more inspirational posts visit Charlotte and Ginger's blog:
www.bloggerspirit.blogspot.com