Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

The GORGEOUS weather outside!
The sense of renewal that March always brings
The fact that the weather forecast for this weekend is sunny and in the 60's
My new purple mani/pedi polish
The fact that Bubby is feeling better today
The snuggle time I had with Bubby last night and this morning
Benadryl for my allergic hive reaction I had to another medication

And last, but not least...

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS!

Yes, I know that sounds funny, but it's true. In my Wednesday Night Bible Study (Breaking Free by Beth Moore), I'm learning three important things that have changed my perspective on life's hardships.

One, too many times we claim tribulations are in our lives, when they are really just irritations. We make mountains out of molehills. For instance, I'm realizing my "tribulation" of not enjoying my job is really not a tribulation at all. It's a source of irritation for sure. But it's not a tribulation. Perspective. Sometimes I just need a little more perspective to understand my life is not as bad as my emotions make it out to be.

Two, in our teeny tiny earthly lifespan (in comparison to eternity!), these trials (or tribulations), are but a blip on the radar. I remember in college, looking back at my teenage years and scoffing at some of the things that were "gonna kill me". Ha! Man...I had it so easy and had no clue. Even today, I look back at my college years and my late 20's and think the same thing. In reality, Life was so simple then, but because of my limited perspective, I had no clue. I think in 10 years, I'll be thinking the same of my life today. But in Heaven? Once I'm up there and realize what hardships I had to go through to get THERE, all of this will seem like child's play. None of it will matter, but it will have been totally worth it.

Three, overcoming the tribulations in my life makes me beautiful in God's eyes. The note I wrote that Beth said in the video, "Being healed is more beautiful than being well." I love that! I realize this might be a lame analogy, but I kept thinking of my great-grandmother's antiques in her home. I could purchase a reproduction of the beautiful mission chair that I always remember her sitting in. It would be new and polished and without any scratches or marks. But it will never be as beautiful as THE antique mission chair that she always sits in. It is the worn scratches, the softness of the cotton cushion, the patina-ed wooden edges, the history of what that chair's been through that makes it so beautiful! That's how God looks as me as I weather storms with Him. I might be beaten, bruised, exhausted and worn. But I've survived some pretty heady trials (and tribulations!) with Him. And here's a thought...the more trials I experience in His name, the more beautiful I become! I know. What a way to look at some of Life's hardships.

With every low blow that Satan throws at me to spin me off my axle, I'm getting more beautiful and precious in Christ's eyes. What a comforting way to view my coming years! I'm basically going through beauty treatments for my wedding day with my Bridegroom. :-D

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

Good, hot, strong coffee from Sprouts bulk bins. Kenyan. Yummy!
Gluten/Dairy/Soy-free coconut milk creamer
Organic honey-crisp apples
My Blackberry didn't buzz me once last night
My coworker that understands it's best to wait until post-coffee-time to come say hi
Spring is around the corner
A yard to dig into in a few weeks
Anticipation of warmer weather
My silly toddler that is so verbal and makes me laugh every day
My silly 7 month old that loves to snuggle and "kiss" (slobber/chew on my chin)

And last, but definitely not least...

My sweet husband.

Today is his birthday and even though I celebrate him through the year, today is HIS day. He is my best friend, my north star, my sweet sensitive voice of reason, and the only one in this world that loves me so deeply with all my quirks, sins, and off-days.

I have no doubt that when he was born on this earth...



...the angels rejoiced in Heaven that another boy babe was going to grow into an amazing Godly man and change so very many lives for the better.

Thank you Love for being you...



...for being Daddy and husband and friend and all things wonderful in the W house. Thank you for toughing it out with us on this side of Heaven. You are so loved and appreciated and our lives just would not work without you in it.

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for...

The warm sun
My silky soft scarf my FIL got in Italy
A job, I might not enjoy, but it puts food in my babies bellies
Health insurance
A short commute
Two beautiful boys that make me feel needed and loved
An amazing husband that calls just to check on me when I'm not well
The opportunity to pray for friends that are hurting

And last but not least...

Hope

There have been many, many times in my life that I've been in so much pain or in such dire straights, that I've lost hope. It's an awful place to be. You're usually by yourself. Or at least it feels that way. Even when you're surrounded by people, you feel alone. It's dark, it's cold, it's eerily silent. Even God is silent during those times. (Sometimes with reason, but that's a whole 'nother post.)

But today, I am not there. On most days, Hope is my constant companion. I can't really attribute it to anything other than Christ. He is my Hope. He has given me Hope. So I guess with those two sentences, one can conclude that He's given me Himself. Which is a true statement.

The Hope I speak of, is not the kind of hope as in, "I hope I get a pony for my birthday!"

"I didn't know she had a pony. How was I to know she had a pony? Why would anybody come here if they had a pony? Who leaves a country packed with ponies to come to a non-pony country? It doesn't make sense..."

(Sorry...a little humor for you fellow Seinfeld fans.)

While I have hope like that in certain details of my life, an uncertain wish, if you will, the Hope that has become my companion is a deeper, more intense, solidified Hope.

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we [1] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith [2] into this grace in which we stand, and we [3] rejoice [4] in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

What's really interesting is the original Greek word for "hope" as it's used in Roman 5:4 is elpis, which means, "a confident expectation; to anticipate with pleasure". I kind of equate it to the hope a bride feels when she is engaged to be married. Is she hoping the wedding takes place? Is she hoping the groom really shows up? No. She knows. The reason the bride has this type of hope is because she has had a relationship with a man that has proven himself worthy of her trust, so she believes that he is going to show up and the wedding will take place and all will be wonderful.

If she's not sure of either of those things, then there are other issues at hand other than using the wrong term for hope.

So the hope described here is not the same hope that we usually use in the American English language we're familiar with.

So what is this Hope I speak of? I have a pleasurable, confident expectation that there is something better. There IS something better! Ultimately, my Hope is someday spending eternity with Christ and my loved ones in a much better world than the one I live in. But that Hope even bleeds down here to life on earth. I have Hope that God will provide for my needs. That He will not leave me, ignore me, play favorites of others over me. He wants the best for me and wants to give me my heart's desire. Could that be a pony? Perhaps. But not likely. What He does want to give me is a life filled with Goodness and Peace. Like any other parent, He will do whatever is possible to give me the tools to do what I'm meant to do...love others. Whether that be by encouraging words, a kind act, a sharing of experience, a hug...or sharing Him. He will always, always, always give me the opportunities to do this AND to give me the tools to do it.

What a wonderful piece of knowledge to live out in my daily life! I have what I need, when I need it, always according to His time and will. How can I ever go wrong in that?

Thankful Thursday

Ten things I'm thankful for today (in no particular order):

Central heating
Umbrellas
Covered parking at work
The fact that I'm gainfully employed
My baby's fever went away last night
My husband that adores our boys
Cinnamon Chex (Thank you for the recommendation Fords!)
The crockpot that's at home cooking my dinner
Organic honey crisp apples from Whole Foods

And last, but DEFINITELY not least...

My amazing women's Bible Study on Wednesday nights!

I'm working on a lot of things in my life right now, but improving my attitude is one of the top three. Interestingly enough, that can't happen without improving my relationship with the Lord, which is AT THE TOP of my list for 2010.

The study I'm attending on Wednesday nights is Beth Moore's Breaking Free. CANNOT say enough about what I'm learning there. Not just from the class video and the book, but from the amazing women within those four walls. It's an intense study. Homework FIVE nights a week! But I have made the decision that no matter if my homework is done, or my day is bad, I AM going to that study every Wednesday!

The highlight of the study last night that really spoke to me: I MUST get in the Word every single day. If I don't, it's like going for a walk in a Texas desert loaded with rattlesnakes without a shotgun to keep me safe. My ammunition is starting (or ending) my day with quiet time with God.

The side note that I must mention that I LOVED, was the important of reading scripture aloud. Satan hates to hear God's Word read aloud, and in reading it aloud, you can make him completely flee! Wow...what power we have supporting us!

While I am not going to be legalistic or militant, I am going to just make this part of my new routine, like brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I do it randomly, but it's random because I don't plan for it. I haven't been able to figure out how to do this in the mornings, so I'm doing it before bedtime. While not ideal, every night I do it, it's a precious sweet time. I enjoy it! I'm so thankful for the changes that God's making in my heart. And can't wait to see what the changes will bring this year!