Tag Archives: thankfulness

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart. (Picture by Lisa R)

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Kings 21. “So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house'” (Verses 27-29). God forgives. Always. I want to interject my very human opinion here, Ahab did not deserve forgiveness, but God promised that if we come to Him with a contrite heart, He would forgive. Ahab humbled himself before the Lord, and God’s forgiveness means that the heart of the kings was genuine. However, God did not completely remove His judgment from Ahab’s house, he just removed it from Ahab. We are responsible for our own sins, and our own actions. God will not judge us based on another’s action, He judges us based on our hearts before Him. And even if it hurts His judgments are right. 

(side note: there was a lot in this chapter… that I wanted to talk about. So please read Chapter 21. And Let me know in the comments, what you got from the chapter)

DAY 23 (2015)

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The fences of our past aren't meant to keep us out. No, sometimes they are saying...fight to get in. (Picture by Lisa R)

The fences of our past aren’t meant to keep us out. No, sometimes they are saying…fight to get in.
(Picture by Lisa R)

I have been in training in my new job for close to three months now. The training is pretty intense, but really fun at the same time. One of the many things that we get as a result of the training is constructive criticism. Our trainers will monitor us and tell us what we did good, but they will also tell us what we did that was NOT so good. I am not bad with criticism, but that does not stop that stinging feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you hear you didn’t do something as perfectly as you thought you did. I have been pondering the feedback lately, and I had this thought; as much as I may dislike it, as much as it may make me feel uncomfortable, in the end it really is for my benefit. Then I compared the discipline of my trainers to the discipline that God sometimes gives, and I realize if my sinful, very human trainers discipline and give feedback for my good, how much more does God. God who created me, and loves me so much that He sent His son to die. I realize that when the trial and hard times come it is a form of God drawing the line and teaching me to move in a different direction. Don’t despise the discipline of God. Because if our human parents and leaders do it for our good, then God does it for out GREATNESS.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3″11-12).

So what am I thankful for today? A loving God who disciplines me for GREATNESS.

DAY 22 (2015)

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It is a gift from God.

It is a gift from God.

So just so you know, I did not flake out yesterday on writing a post. In fact I had every intention of doing so, but for some unknown reason I could not stay awake when I got home. So I laid down to nap and didn’t wake up till morning. It was awesome!!! Therefore I am catching up on yesterday, today. Had I written this post yesterday it would have been different, but as I was reflecting on what happened last night. With me crashing like an elderly person, this scripture came to mind, “God gives His beloved sleep”. I needed it I have been so overwhelmed lately that my sleep had been fitful at best, but last night I slept, really slept. I woke up refreshed and ready for the day. It made me realize even our sleep is important to God, and when He knows we need it He gifts it to us.

“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2).

So what am I thankful for today (technically yesterday)? A God that knows us so well, He knows when we need sleep.

DAY 21 (2015)

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We can't do it alone, we all need help on the journey.  (Picture taken at House Of Hope, S. Korea)

We can’t do it alone, we all need help on the journey.
(Picture taken at House Of Hope, S. Korea)

So I got the best compliment ever today from a friend. Our friendship has had ups and downs and for a while, we weren’t as close. But a little while ago we repaired the rift in our friendship and took steps toward regaining our closeness. Today we were texting back and forth and she said the coolest thing, I think anyone has ever said to me. She told me that God had used me to help put her back on the right path. Now to some reading this it may not be a big deal, but let me explain why it is. I don’t always feel like I am doing the right thing, or saying the right thing. Especially with this friend, because I felt like I let her down a lot in the friendship. The beauty is that God restored it, and even in the midst of my insecurities and not doing it right, she still was able to find a “good”. After that text I realized God really does redeem our mistakes, He gives us beauty for ashes, and restores what the locust has taken away.

“The LORD says, I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you” (Joel 2:25).

So what I thankful for today? Friendship.

DAY 20 (2015)

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God has our hearts and our lives in His hand... And His grip never fails.

God has our hearts and our lives in His hand… And His grip never fails.

Yesterday was a long day, I felt overwhelmed and tired. It felt like my world was spinning out of control. I talked to my boyfriend, who gave me this advice, “Go find a quiet place. Relax your mind and pray.” The BEST advice ever! I wasn’t able to completely follow his advice at work, but when I got home, I took some time to be alone, to quiet my mind, and to take my frayed emotions to God. Today I woke up and not much had changed situation wise, there is still a lot going on, and a lot of it is overwhelming. However, today I felt peaceful ALL day. I felt like someone more able than myself was in control. I know that despite the situation or circumstance I am facing, God is in control of my day. Life can feel like it’s slipping from our grasp, but here is some hope… Nothing slips from God’s hands.

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12).

So what am I thankful for today? That nothing slips from God’s grasp.

DAY 18 (2015)

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What we look like when our eyes are off our purpose... dirty snow.

What we look like when our eyes are off our purpose… dirty snow.

It has snowed for the past two weeks in Buffalo (this is not an exaggeration). Today is the first day where snow did not fall at least one time during the day. Right about now you’re wondering if this post is going to be a weather update. Rest assured it is not. Snow when it initially falls is white, pure, and beautiful. But when it has sat for a while and interacted with the elements of the earth, it becomes a brown dirty mess. What’s my point? Snow unaffected by the world is a beautiful sight, it is doing what it was created to do. As snow is falling it is fulfilling the purpose that God made it for. But when snow is sitting and not falling it is not doing what it was created for and at that moment is when it beaten and dirtied by the world. Are you catching my point, yet? We all have a purpose, a reason for being. When we are living that purpose we are unaffected by the world, we interact but are unaffected because our focus is on our purpose. But when we like snow sit around not doing what we are called to do, then we too become dirty and ineffective. Today God reminded me that I have a purpose and that everyday He guides me to do what He has called me to do. On the days that I follow I feel light and at peace, even if my circumstances don’t change. But on days that I don’t I feel dark and burdened. If we want light in our lives, and not to be cast aside like dirty snow, we need to do what God has called us to do.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good and what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

What am I thankful for today? Lessons from the snow.

DAY 14 (2014)

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Sometimes the harshest trials paint the most beautiful pictures.

Sometimes the harshest trials paint the most beautiful pictures.

So today it was -2 degrees outside. Isn’t that a non number? The weird thing about Western New York, it that it gets prettier and prettier the colder it gets. When the sun shines on frosted glass it literally looks like little sparkling diamonds. As I was thinking about that I realized that cold weather is harsh, yet this state bears it beautifully. Because the harshness of the season brings out the beauty within. The same is true with us, except unlike the city we have a choice of how to react to harshness and trials. We could like Western New York grow more and more beautiful or we could do the opposite. Today God reminded me that hardships are not meant to break us and make us ugly. Quite the contrary, they are meant to build us up and make us beautiful, if we would, like this city, choose to walk through it. Trials hurt, but they also make us beautiful.

“Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being” (Psalm 20:30).

So what am I thankful for today? Non numbered weather… 😉

DAY 13 (2014)

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God is the DIRECTOR of my path.

God is the DIRECTOR of my path.

So yesterday I found out I had pink eye. I had to laugh, because I associate that infection with children. On Saturday I woke up with my eye swollen, red, and itchy. But let me tell you about how God used it for good. The company I work for, for the first 6 months has a 100% dependability policy. What that means is no absences. I started in the winter, in Buffalo it snows every day (okay this may be a slight exaggeration), I come from Florida. See where I am going with this? On Sunday the swelling had not gone away, and on Monday when I woke up my eyes was pink, watery, and throbbing. I had a bad, bad case of pink eye. But what that earned was a day off with no negative repercussion, which was awesome because on Monday it literally (not an exaggeration) snowed ALL day. God had once again stepped in and taken care of my worry even before I had a chance to worry about it. Today I woke up with a little bit of swelling, but no pink, and no throbbing and today the road were clear. God truly went before me to clear my path. His grace blows me away every single day.

“But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).

So what am I thankful for today? Clear roads and a God that knows my needs before I even ask.

 

DAY 11 (2015)

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Only God can truly answer this question...

Only God can truly answer this question…

Have you just ever had a time of worship, were you felt every song, sung, was somehow a message solely meant for you? Today’s praise and worship was like that for me… it came when we sang this chorus: “Lead me to cross where your love poured out, bring to me to my knees Lord I lay me down. Rid me of myself I belong to you. Lord lead me. Lead me to the cross.” It was one of those moments were the words felt so real it was almost difficult to say them, because they brought tears to my eyes and repentance to my heart as I realized, this wasn’t just words in a song. No, this was my heart laying prostrate before God, and giving Him the parts of myself that I have been unsuccessfully trying to hide from Him. I  felt refreshed and renewed after the experience. Then I was gently reminded of the fact that, that is the purpose of worship. We mistakenly believe worship is just a time for us to sing, when really it is a time for us to fellowship and communicate with our heavenly Father. Worship is our way of telling God how much we love Him, and opening the door for Him to reply to this message, Today my relationship with God was brought a little bit closer through worship, today parts of my heart were changed and made new in the light of His grace. Today I learned (or was reminded) that worship was a time to pour our love out to God.

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:9).

So what am I thankful for today? Worship that leads me to the cross.

DAY 9 (2015)

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What words are you using?

What words are you using?

Some days the message is so simple you wonder why more people don’t understand. Then you realize that it’s not because they can’t as much as they don’t want to. God doesn’t make it hard, He doesn’t make finding Him hard. God gives freely, He loves us freely, He saves us freely (although it cost Him so much). Today as I strolled through my day, for some reason I was blown away by the simplicity of our very complex God. Complex in that He is the beginning and end, but simple in that all we have to do is believe and trust and His power is at our disposal. Here is the truth that today has taught, and no nothing amazing happened in my day, gold did not fall from the sky, all my deepest desires have not been meant: But God LOVES me, and that is ENOUGH.

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fail” (Lamentation 3:22).

So what am I thankful for today? Unconditional, unending LOVE.