Category: November 2011 (Thankfulness)

Choosing Joy in the Morning

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by JMathis, November 2011 (Thankfulness)Leave a comment

By JMathis

Each morning, I groggily open my eyes, not knowing where I am or who I am. I am in the haze, where I simply have no context of the problems that are about to crash in over me. All I can think about in this sleep-wake limbo is how refreshing more sleep would feel in my warm, soft cocoon.

But within minutes, thoughts of this new day’s problems knock ferociously on the door of my consciousness. The stress of deadlines pulls me hastily out of my toasty bed. The demands and pressures of the day soon choke me fully into the cold world of wakefulness.

Another day, another dollar. Another day, more problems.

What a depressing way to wake up every morning. Have I always been such a Debbie Downer?

Lord, show me answers. Father, remind me of how to start my mornings right.

James 1:2-4  “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Lord, I thank You that Your Word promises me opportunities to experience great joy.

Lord, I thank You that in this season of testing, that in this season of hardship, You are building me up and stretching me. You are pushing me to be more like You. You are challenging me to see joy–even in the desert.

Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. “

Lord, I thank You that if I keep my gaze on You, You promise to trade my cross for joy. Thank You, Lord, that You died so that I could experience joy–joy at work, joy in my marriage, joy in my parenting, joy in my friendships. Joy in every realm of my experience.   

Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Lord, I thank You that Love Never Fails. That it is Your love that consumes me every morning, and not my problems. That each morning, You are there, waiting to flood my day with mercy, grace, compassion, faithfulness…and joy.

Lord, thank You for my promise of joy. Thank You for this new day of experiencing even more joy.

Lord, thank You for my cocoon of unspeakable, unsurpassed, unimaginable joy, where I can stay, surrounded by Your love. Safe from problems, free from fears, delivered of worries.

Lord, this morning, I choose joy.

This morning, I choose You.

Thanking God for Our Problems

On By femmefuelIn FemmeFeatures by Bindu Adai-Mathew, November 2011 (Thankfulness)Leave a comment

By Bindu Adai-Mathew

Thankfulness. This Thanksgiving we will each gather around our family dining room table and give thanks for God’s blessing. We will thank Him for our family. We will thank Him for our health. We will thank Him for blessings. We will thank Him for our problems.

Say whaaat? Nope, that was not a typo. Thank him for our problems? Aren’t we supposed to detest our problems and issues? Typically that is our reaction, isn’t it?  It definitely is mine. As soon as I face an issue, I shift to the “woe is me” mentality. The victim. The persecuted.

Often I get discouraged with life because after one problem seems to be over or overcome, another problem seems to take its place. When will I get a break, Lord? Is there something wrong with me? Is life ever going to get easier?

But what if we saw our problems as not just the enemy, the very thing we rally against?  But what if we see our problems in life as the means by which we develop a closer walk with God?

Like Paul with his thorn in his flesh, we, too, have thorns in our flesh. Thorns that keep us humble. Thorns that keep us on our knees. Thorns that keep us continually in the throne room, in His presence.

Often when we see our problems in a different light…in a positive light…they often lose their power over us.  We are no longer as overwhelmed, exhausted, defeated by our problems…or their continual presence in our lives.

Instead, we have to see them as necessary. Like muscle is built with the resistance of weight, so is our faith built with the presence of our problems. Each life issue we face exercises different muscles. Sometimes it’s our patience that gets built. Sometimes it’s our forgiveness. Often times it’s our trust muscles.

Challenge: Think of a problem you are struggling with today. How is it helping you exercise your spiritual muscles? How can you view your struggle differently so that you no longer see it solely in a negative light? What “good” can you see coming out of this problem?  How has it strengthened your character and your resolve?

Remember that God promises not to test us beyond what we can endure. And He promises us that everything in our lives can be used for our good…even our problems.

 

What are your FAVORITE THINGS?

On By sashakatzIn FemmeBytes by Sasha Katz, November 2011 (Thankfulness)Leave a comment

These are a few of my favorite things:

Smooches on Leila’s smacker, laughing with Quinn, my husband’s jokes, truth from my mom, time with my brothers.

Time for sleeping, home cooked meals, mani/pedi, haircut with color, wax, new shoes or purse.

My friend Nat who asks if I am okay.

Remembering the births of my children.  Remembering the day of my salvation.  Remembering my wedding day.

Forgetting my sin.  Burying my mistakes.  Grace over and over.

Brisk mornings, rainbows, sun on my face.

Promises like you reap what you sow.  Planting gardens that the bugs don’t eat.

God’s truth.  His murals in my mind.  His wisdom on my heart.  His dreams that stay with me for my lifetime.

Time that I have to spend until it runs out.  Every minute of every hour that I can breathe in and breathe out.

His sufficiency and economy and sacrifice on the Cross.

These are a few of my favorite things . . . of which I am very thankful.

Now Go and Do Likewise

On By femmefuelIn FemmeBytes by JMathis, November 2011 (Thankfulness)Leave a comment

By JMathis

Being thankful is about remembering.

Remembering that life is not meant for you to travel alone.

Remembering that others have contributed to the beautiful mosaic that is uniquely you.

Remembering that your journey is intertwined with those who walked before you, and those who come to follow you.

Remembering that living a life of thankfulness is about living a life of acknowledgment.

Acknowledgment that someone paved the way for your successes.

Acknowledgement that someone cared enough about you to feed and clothe you.

Acknowledgment that someone sacrificed pieces of herself so that you would blossom.

Remember and acknowledge that since the moment of your birth, people have come in and out of your life, in spurts and stretches, to ensure that you have breath, comfort and support.

Whether they existed generations before you or now sojourn right alongside you, remember and acknowledge that you are part of them, and they are part of you.

Remember and acknowledge that God has commissioned others to safeguard you.

Now go and do likewise.

Remember and acknowledge that God has allowed others to pour good into you.

Now go and do likewise.

Remember and acknowledge that God has brought others in to be anchors for you in the storm.

Now go and do likewise.

Give, sacrifice and embrace, as others have done for you.

Give, sacrifice and embrace, as others should have done for you.

Give, sacrifice and embrace, as God has done for you, and continues to do for you.

Now go and do likewise, all the while remembering and acknowledging that your life is just not yours alone.

Now go and do likewise.

The Remedy is Thankfulness

On By sashakatzIn FemmeBytes by Sasha Katz, November 2011 (Thankfulness)1 Comment

By AbbyA

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. 

Dear Lord,

There is such a thing as a time line of our lives.  There are markers of births and deaths, triumphs and failures, soaring high and crawling low.  Adventures and journeys that make us who we are.  You knew the depth of the joy and of the pain each of us would experience in this life and you still call us to be thankful in everything.

As my dear friend Mike said today, you just can’t stop in the middle of the journey.  No matter how hard or painful the walk.  You are not perfected until you reach the finish line.  Mike shares with me that he doesn’t stop because he wants to be strengthened through his pain and suffering.  He doesn’t stop because he desires to be complete in every way Jesus would have him be complete.  He surrenders his thoughts of giving up to his savior and walks for another day.  Mike is thankful.  I can tell by both the light and tears that flow from his eyes when I talk with my friend.

My dear friend Megan and I, over a year ago, sat on a bench.  Her tears fell as she reached deep to understand where God had her and why.  She took a certain amount of responsibility for the valley and pressed on.  Megan said to me just the other day, AbbyA, isn’t true that our darkest moments are really our blessings?  We agreed that it is in the blinded darkness that you know the true love of your God.  And because of that knowledge, Megan is thankful.  I can tell by both the light and tears that flow from her eyes when I talk with my friend.

My daddy, who I will miss until the day I jump into his arms in heaven, ran the race in pain and suffering for more than six years.  While he must have had many questions for his God, he wrapped his inner hope around a promise that God would never leave or forsake him.  And as I watched him walk home to heaven, I believe that his strong faith grew in leaps and bounds as he saw and tasted that His promises were true. I know my dad was thankful in his life because I could see the spiritual peace that flowed from his inner being.

Lord, I want to thank you because you knew the depth of the joy and of the pain each of us would experience in this life.  You knew that there was only one remedy for both the valleys and mountain tops.  The remedy is thankfulness.  Your remedy is not without substance.  The substance of thankfulness is your love.  Love that never ends; always grows deeper; and always gives hope.

With love,

AbbyA, Bindu and JMathis