thankful

So, what is Thanksgiving?  Is it just another holiday?
   

Is it a time when family and friends come together for a meal, eat way too much, talk, share, laugh, reminisce, take a nap, play football, watch the parades, get ready for Black Friday?  Or maybe the meal is rice and canned beans?  A peanut butter sandwich? 

But, what about... The homeless man?  The hungry child with no food.  The widow down the street?  The family living in poverty?  The mother in jail?  The young orphan longing for a family?  The baby dying from cancer?  The one who has no family?  The one who has lost everything?  The pregnant teenager alone and scared?  The boy who is abused?  The man who is unloved?  The one who has given up on life?    The soldier fighting overseas?  The frail man in the nursing home?  The wife who is beaten?  The one without a job?  The parents who can’t afford a coat? The lonely couple across town?   

Now, imagine each of these are you.  Okay, how thankful would you be?  Honestly.  Seriously.  

Tomorrow is Thursday...Thanksgiving.  Many us will overindulge, many of us will go hungry, many of us will be all alone.  What about me?  Tomorrow, I’ll be with family, sit in a comfortable chair, enjoy the Thanksgiving meal, maybe take a nap, check out the sales papers. 

Personally, I can count my many blessings one-by-one into eternity.  Shouldn’t I be a blessing to others?  Share the love of God to others?   It stabs my heart when I know, especially as a Christian, this is not how Jesus wants me to be.  This is not who Jesus wants me to be.  

And Jesus said... 

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons, 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 

45 “And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 

Matthew 25:34-45 NLT

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once upon a time............

Sometimes I think about upcoming events or changes pertaining to me, my loved ones, to others, or to the world. I may be anxious about some things, such as a dentist appointment, or the results of my cholesterol test. Others, I eagerly look forward to experiencing or witnessing, like a vacation, a visit from family, or watching a baseball game.

Time can slip thru my fingers if I pay too much attention to tomorrow instead of embracing today. Whether it’s nice or dreadful, joyful or miserable, it is today. Today is a gift, given to me from the Lord. I ought to be thankful for the opportunities and experiences I receive today.

With every tick of a clock, the past is gone.  Just as quickly, the future is gone.  As quickly as time marches on, can I honestly say I embrace the present or reflect on a contented past or look to the future with hope and peace?  Not always.  Just a fact of life...

When I was online recently, I came across this: “Amidst fear, we have peace beyond understanding; amidst sorrow, we have joy unspeakable; amidst trouble, we have every comfort and consolation; amidst uncertainty, we have the blessed hope.”

 

I don’t know the origin or author, but these words take negative emotions and give the positive responses offered in Christ. No matter what happens, today or tomorrow, God is in control of my life. I gladly embrace my gift of time today!

We often spend too much of the present anxious to reach the future, and when we get there, what do we do? We wonder where the time went. Author: Unknown

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

i am a wretch

Do you know what a wretch is?

Basically, a wretch is someone who (is)(a):

 

bully, bad, black sheep, bum, cheater, coward, criminal, delinquent, derelict, despicable, disgrace, dishonest, felon, fool, fraud, good-for-nothing, hoodlum, immoral, incorrigible, ingrate, liar, looser. lowlife, miserable, outcast, outlaw, rotten, scoundrel, scum, sinner, swindler, tramp, vagrant, varmint, vile, villain, wicked.

 Whoa Nellie! That’s a boatload list for describing a wretch!  Okay, seriously now.  Many of those words describe me.  But, by the grace of God I am saved.  As the old, well-know hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ says: ‘That saved a wretch like me.’

I am a sinner and I will always be a sinner.  It’s not quite this simple, but Jesus died to take away my sin.  I've been a Christian for many years, yet it’s still hard for me to wrap this around my head and around my heart.  I know this for sure: ‘For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 

John 3:16 NLT

God, the Creator of everything that is, loves me.  Me.  Out of all the billions or trillions of people that have ever lived on this earth, God knows me and loves me and has saved me.  Me.  Wow...   And amazingly, Jesus would have died on the cross if I were the only person in the whole world that believed in and accepted Christ as my savior.  Wow...  

Be a sinner and sin strongly, but more strongly have faith and rejoice in Christ.
Martin Luther

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.♪♫•*¨*•♫♪

Happy 5th Birthday Hudson!

I love you more than all the legos in the world!

Nana

eagle's wings

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31 NLT
I love these verses.  They create a beautiful picture in my mind......

I’m not the most patient person.  I’m sure of it.  I want to get up and get on with it.  I may feel this way, but that’s not the way it is.  Most of the time I have little energy or gumption to charge full speed ahead.  I do a lot of waiting around, doing what I can do, doing what I absolutely have to do, not feeling like doing much of anything. Nothing.  I can blame fibromyalgia or the herniated disc, yet there are things I can do.   Key thing, yet there are things I can do.  I’m not the most patient person.

Waiting.  Watching and waiting to see how God will use me to encourage others.  Waiting can mean looking forward to something or waiting with anticipation or waiting and hoping. Waiting.  Yes, waiting to see what God is going to do.  Patiently.  Not so patiently.  Waiting.

When I get discouraged waiting to be feel better, I get frustrated.  I get tired of doing nothing.  But, face it, I have no idea what God’s plans are.  He has a purpose.  He prepares.  He encourages.  He strengthens.  I know it is in His time.  At some point, I know God will use me in a most unexpected way.  I just have to patiently wait.  In the mean time, there is plenty I can do.  And, I don’t have to wait.  I can grow as a Christian.  I can spend more time talking to God.  I can study His word and learn and apply His truths.  I can reach out to others. Yes, I can do something.

quick quotes

Charles R. Swindoll ~ on Joy

Joy is a deeply felt contentment that transcends difficult circumstances and derives maximum enjoyment from every good experience.

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun.

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we choose to express. It is not a gift delivered to our door each morning, nor does it come through the window. And it is certain that our circumstances are not the things that make us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never laugh again.

pray

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.  And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:26-28 NLT

I admit it:  there are many times I open my heart to pray, and I can find no words. Groanings that can’t be expressed in words – that’s exactly what it’s like!  There are times when I’m overwhelmed, tired, afraid, upset, lonely, uncertain, discouraged, hurting – I’m grateful the Holy Spirit takes over.  He lifts up my prayers to God.  When I can’t.

I came across this quote some time ago – I didn’t make a note of the author:

When praying to God. God knows what you need and the Holy Spirit will lift up your prayers and will shape those prayers in ways that we as humans can’t begin to imagine.

~unknown

it's that time of year....

I’ve spent a lot of time lately gazing out at my backyard secret garden and day dreaming about all the things I long to do and things I want to do and things I need to do and things I love to do.  There are bulbs that need planting, some shrubs that need trimming, flower seeds to collect, a new flower bed to prepare, shrubs and flowers that need transplanting, the garden pond needs some attention, two birdhouses need to be set up, two brackets mounted on the arbor for the new bird feeders.  Right now, all I can manage is keeping water in the birdbath, filling the bird feeders, and hanging suet baskets.  To me, this is more than just a hobby, it’s rather like a sense of duty I gladly accept.

I love being outside, getting dirty, breathing in fresh air, enjoying a breeze, listening to the music, and appreciating all of nature, from the little orange beetle to the red-tailed hawk to the hungry raccoon to the sneaky opossum and the writing spiders and yes, even the very long shiny black rat snake.  I have been awed by the fall colors, look forward to winter snow, but, most of all, I will savor every single bit of God’s creation and soak in His wonderful gifts of nature.

 The last few days have been gray and gloomy.  The darkness will soon chase away the late afternoon light.  I’ll adjust, it is a part of nature that must be. 

Soon my theater will burst open ushering in sunny days, rainy days, birds that are blue and yellow and tiny and large, scampering squirrels sneaking birdseed, and wonders great and small.  I will be serenaded with chirping and chattering and peeping and singing and screeching and...

And, all will be well.