Things That Make me Smile...Thankful Thursday

Nothing serious or deep today...just a quick list of little things I'm thankful for today...very random, certainly not all-inclusive, and definitely not in any order...things that make me smile:

1. Blueberries

2. 50% off sales at Hobby Lobby

3. A letter in the mail "just because"

4. My husband's grilled country-style ribs 

5. Cottage-style decorating magazines

6. "Perfect" quotes

7. Beautiful fabric...especially tiny floral prints, ginghams, toile, and plaids

8. Hymns

9. Dirt cheap used books (well, actually any used books, or any new books, but even better if I get a "really good deal"

10. Hugs

11. My husband's smile

12. Happy Hour at Sonic

13. My children's giggles

14. A fresh new notebook

15. A bucket full of Sharpies

16. A Bible verse you know you must have read before that hits you in a whole new way

17. Tulips

18. The laughter of friends

What makes you smile?

To participate in Thankful Thursday,  head over to Lynn's. 

Thankful I'm Not Queen of the World...

It's been a pretty good today here.  Billy was off work (because he has to work Saturday...bleh), and it's always fun to have him off and home during the week.  We celebrated Mother's Day early...Billy and the kids had surprises and just couldn't wait. :)   He also did some much-needed and much appreciated repair work on the house today...I am, as always, very thankful for my handy husband!   I felt better today than I have in weeks...that was a blessing and I'm praying it continues to improve.  Bayley and I have made a lot of progress in the dining room/school room/scrapbook room this week (okay, I'll be honest...Bay has done most of the work, while I've supervised, and Peter's entertained the little girls.  She LOVES to organize, and she is *good* at it! :))  As a result of that, I've actually managed to pull some things out and get a bit creative...still trying to overcome the latest bout of brain fog and get the creative juices really flowing, but it's been *really* nice to even play with it a bit.   And we saw *sunshine* here today...seems like it has been *forever* since the sun has popped out.  "Yay!" for no rain!!

But at the same time that the weather has been sunnier, there have been some major overhanging clouds today.  Two friends with health problems...one whose long-term issues seem to be advancing and deteriorating way too rapidly, and one who received very bad news this week that just seems to be getting worse.  A friend with overwhelming extended family issues for which there are no easy answers, and which sometimes seem unbearable.   It is so hard to watch people we love hurt...and I so badly want to make it all better...to fix everything!  It frustrates me to no end sometimes that I can't!!  

Tonight as my heart was breaking for a friend,  I found myself  fighting that frustration again...wanting to "help", to "do something", to make it better.  And then God reminded me again of what He so often reminds me (usually about my children)...that He loves them more than I do.  He has them in the palm of His hand.  Nothing can come to them that He hasn't allowed through the filter of His goodness and love.  

Oh, that's hard sometimes!!  It doesn't *seem* like love right now.  It doesn't *seem* good...AT ALL.  But then...God began to remind me of other things.  He began to remind me of all the times in the past few years when we have been the ones in the horribly painful situation, and our friends have hurt for us.  He began to remind me of all the things He has taught us during those times...and most of all, of the ways He has used those times to enable us to *know Him* better, more deeply, more intimately.  As deep as the pain has been (and is), the blessings have been infinitely more precious.  

I ran across this Nancy Leigh DeMoss quote on a friend's blog earlier this week.  Beautiful quote, and beautiful translation of one of my favorite verses...

"God closely monitors the depth and length and height of every trial that you endure; 

He will not allow into your life a single circumstance that will thwart His eternal, loving plan for your life." 

Jeremiah 29:11 - "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

In my quest for a creative spark today, I ran across the blog of a pro scrapbooker whose work I've admired for years.  I used to be very involved in the online scrapbooking world, and *up* on all the news in that creative culture, but in the past few years have rarely opened a scrapbook magazine, much less visited online scrapbooking forums and blogs.  I had no idea of the difficulties this designer had experienced over the past few years, and I was fascinated by this recent blog post.   She and her husband had built a hugely successful business from the ground up, becoming millionaires in their 20s, and "had it all".   Then a tragic accident wiped it "all" out.  The premise of her blog post, "If I was the QUEEN of the WORLD..." is that now, looking back, despite the fact that they live in a rent house (in which one of her children has to sleep on the sofa because there aren't enough bedrooms) and that their "liability-only" insured van was totalled last week leaving them with woefully inadequate transportation...she wouldn't change a thing.  The benefits of "losing it all" have just been too great.

As I was reading, I was struck by what I am most thankful for this week.  I am thankful that I am NOT "Queen of the World".   If I were, I would be so busy "fixing" the painful circumstances in the lives of my family and friends...and they would never experience the deeper blessings God has in store for them.  I would have "fixed" the painful circumstances of the past few years in our family...and missed the blessings He provided through them.  

I am so thankful that while I am not "Queen of the World", I do know  the King of Creation. The ache is still there.  My heart still breaks for hurting friends. But how incredible to know that He  *does* have a plan, and that no matter what it looks like, His plan is a plan for wholeness, a perfect plan to give us a future and a hope!  I am so thankful that He is never "out of control" for even a second.  I am so thankful that He loves my family and my friends *even more* than I do, and that He is holding them...and me...in the palm of His hand, close to His heart.  (Psalm 91, Isa. 40:11)  I am thankful that He is working to show us wonders so many and so great that we cannot even describe them all.  (Psalm 40:1-5)  

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Thankful for the Word..

This was actually supposed to be *last* Thursday's Thankful Thursday post.  Occasionally I will have a strong urge to write a particular post, have it practically composed in my mind, but be prevented from actually getting it typed out for a period of time no matter how hard I try.  And then suddenly "It's time."  And I realize at that point that there is a reason God has blocked my posting earlier...because I need to be reflecting on those thoughts *now*.   That is definitely the case with this one.

Last Thursday morning I woke up thinking about this verse...

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." 

 Hebrews 4:12

The night before, I had had one of those "take your breath away" moments, when God allows you to see His glory more vividly than usual.  Bro. Kent's sermon the previous Sunday (from John 21:1-14) had been one of those that seemed that it had been written *just for me*.   I had been struggling for direction in a difficult and critical situation...a situation in which it was more obvious than usual that we could not make a decision in our own wisdom...it was crucial that we *know* we were following God's plan and not our own.  I was "chomping at the bit" to move, feeling a completely unsettled need to act.   At the same time, I kept remembering our commitment throughout the whole long situation not to take a single step without definite, unmistakeable guidance.   And as much as my mind was screaming "act", a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12) was saying, "Be still, and know that I am God."  (Isa. 46:10)

And in the midst of this tug of war between "acting" and "being still", I ended up sitting in the Sunday morning service listening to Bro. Kent preach on "waiting on God in uncertain times". Here are a few tidbits from my notes...

* "What next? Do we keep waiting on God, or do we do something?"   

* Sometimes that is where God puts us..."just waiting", for a long time.

* God calls us to trust Him in uncertain times. 

* When the Lord has given us instructions, to do anything else is sure failure.

* Sometimes God says, "Wait," and if that is what He has told you to do...then WAIT.  Continue to do what you know He wants you to do, even in little ways, and otherwise, just wait. 

* God calls us to trust in Jesus.  Our tendency in difficult times is often to pull back. Don't pull back!  Run to Him.  

* Remain faithful to your prayer life, and don't allow troubling circumstances to take your eyes off of Him.

I was completely overcome, sitting in the pew scribbling notes as fast as I could scribble, with the thought that God's plan in the situation at hand was to work in a way that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was "all Him", that it had nothing to do with any wisdom, abilities, or actions on the part of men.  

And so, we waited.  And God acted.  And sure enough, there was no doubt in our minds that it was "all Him".  We were completely blown away at the unexpected turn of events that was obviously entirely orchestrated by God.  

I shared with our pastor what an impact that sermon had had on me, and his reply about God's direction in that sermon instantly brought to mind those words from Hebrews 4:12.  Looking back at the way that God had used His Word so directly, so pointedly, so "relevant-ly" did take my breath away.  I've pondered them at various times in the last week, as I've thought about that sermon and others over the past few years that have been "just exactly what I needed" at that particular time.  To fully understand that, you have to realize that our pastor has been preaching through the book of John on Sunday mornings for almost 4 years.   (I think we are actually within a few sermons of the end.:-))  I was no stranger to the merits of expository preaching prior to Bro. Kent's arrival, but I have been *so* completely amazed at the way God has spoken directly to whatever has been happening in *my* life at that *exact* moment as we have travelled through the book of John.  And I know that that is not only the case for me, but for others as well.  His Word is truly living and active. 

Today, we find ourselves in *wait* mode again.  You would think, so soon after God had shown His power and glory in an awesome way, the waiting would be easy.  I keep telling myself it should be.  But...I still struggle with contentment in His timing.  I find myself needing the reminder from His Word, and from reflection on His Work in our lives, all over again.   As I was preparing this post and going back through my notes from last week, I came across this article, found during last week's study on "waiting".   It's a long read, but excellent, especially for anyone going through a time of trial or waiting on the Lord.  

God's Word is truly living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword.  I am so thankful this morning for His Word.  I am so thankful for pastors and others who are so faithful to teach and preach the truth of the Word, without apology.  I am so thankful for the stack of Bibles beside me on my desk...in various translations and formats.  I am thankful for websites like BibleGateway, where with a few clicks of a button we can find any verse, or verses on any topic, in a multitude of translations and languages.  I am thankful for an intimate, personal God who cares about every detail of our lives, and who speaks to us directly, through His Word.  I'm thankful for the fact that even this morning as I've been working on this post, He has again, and again, and again, shown the truth of this verse, and given much-needed guidance for the moment at hand and the days ahead.  

For more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Laurie's blog. 

Thankful...Friday :-)

(If I post my Thankful Thursday post before the kids get up and around on Friday, does it count for Thursday? ;-))

This week I'm thankful for many things, but most of all, I am thankful for my sweet husband. I am thankful that the desire of his heart is to be a godly husband and father. I'm thankful that he works hard to provide for us, and that he works hard at home to keep the house, yard, and vehicles maintained. I'm thankful that he is a hands-on daddy...who takes that role very seriously and is involved in every aspect of his children's lives. If you want to make him mad, ask him if he is "babysitting" when he has the kids by himself...you'll get a very quick and pointed, "I am NOT babysitting, I'm their DAD." I'm thankful that he puts up with my crankiness, and spoils me in a million ways when I don't deserve it. I'm thankful that he takes good care of me when I'm not feeling up to par, and that he is willing and able to take up the slack during those times. I'm thankful for his strong protective streak (Mama bears have nothing on him. :)) Most of all, I'm thankful that he loves me, and for almost 13 years as his wife!

(I'm also thankful that he turns 40 on Sunday...24 days before I do, so I can get used to the idea before *my* birthday!! :-D Happy Birthday a bit early, Babe! I love you!)

For more Thankful Thursdays, visit Iris at Grace Alone.

Thankful Thursday (on Friday)

(This is not the Thankful Thursday post I had planned for yesterday.  I thought I would have an opportunity to post last night, but it didn't happen.  And my thoughts have gone in a totally different direction since then.  I'm thankful for Iris and her weekly reminders to express our thanks, even though I haven't been good about actually posting them lately. :))

This morning I am thankful for another morning with my husband and my children.   

Last night I was browsing the cereal aisle in Wal-Mart when a friend walked up and said that a mom from church had died very suddenly and unexpectedly earlier in the evening.  From what I understand, she had seen two doctors in the past two days who both said the symptoms she was having were nothing to worry about.  

All I could think about the rest of the night was three little girls going to bed without their mama. 

This morning thoughts of the shock and pain her family is dealing with are mingled with thoughts about my own priorities.  Not the ones on paper...it's easy to make a list of "God, Family, Others" and feel like we have them all in order.  But in real life...it is so, so easy to let them become massively skewed.  It's so easy to think, "I'll do better when _________ is over," or "Tomorrow will be better."   But as God has reminded me again, there is no guarantee that He will give tomorrow.  

I'm thankful for another chance to work at getting them right.  I'm thankful for another chance to snuggle with my girls, listen to the boy's excitement about his latest Lego creation or what he just heard on the radio, and watch a movie with my husband.  I'm thankful for another chance to stop and deal with the 113 interruptions that I've had from four children (and two dogs) since I started trying to type this short post. :-)

I'm praying that God will help me to remember what a blessing every moment of today is...and every day to come...and that I will remember that "Live each day as though it were your last" is not just a trite saying...it is wise counsel.  

Please pray with me for the R. family today and this week.  

"In the Palm of His Hand"

"If 'God would make manifest the fact that 'He giveth songs in the night', He must first make it night."
~William Taylor

I am thankful for the night, and for the songs He gives in it.
 
Tuesday morning I was pondering a quote I had read earlier in the day here. I had read another take on the quote here.

“Still, accepting God’s existence is one thing; honoring his command is another matter entirely, especially if we’re required to go back when we’d rather go forward.”
~Liz Curtis Higgs

As I pondered Tuesday morning, I thought, "It feels so good to finally be going forward when we have been 'going back', or 'standing still' for so long."

A few hours later, I re-entered the category of "going back" with a vengeance.

I wasn't ready. I didn't want to. I was far from happy about the circumstances we were suddenly in the midst of. My mind flashed back to this quote, and I began to pray that God would give grace and strength to honor and obey when what I really wanted to do was go back to bed and pull the blankets over my head until Christmas.

As I began praying, two things came to my mind, and lodged there for the next 36 hours. The first was the chorus to a song we have been singing in children's choir this month:

"God will make a way
When there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see;
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side.
With love and strength for each new day,
He will make a way,
He will make a way."
~Don Moen

This song had been on my mind all week, not only because we have been working on it with the children on Wednesdays, but because of an anniversary that occurred on Saturday. Fifteen years ago, this song was part of a musical the adult choir was preparing at my church. I was stuck in traffic on Hwy. 71 at Huntington due to a tractor-trailer rig accident. I was dealing with extreme frustration because I knew the delay was going to make me late for choir rehearsal, and I needed to be there to prepare for the musical. As I sat and fumed, God began to give a very odd peace about the situation, and I settled back with my rehearsal cassette and music to practice on my own as I waited for the road to clear. I don't know how many times I played that tape over and over again, or how many times I sang this song while I sat there. And every time, I listened also to this story of Don Moen writing this song after his nephew was killed in a car accident.

God knew that afternoon that more than I needed to work parts and rhythms with the choir, I needed to be saturated with the scripture, songs, and testimony on that tape. I arrived home too late to even attempt rehearsal, only to discover that my dad and my best friend had been trying to reach me. While I was sitting on the road singing "God Will Make a Way" over and over again, our friend Andy was meeting Jesus face to face...the result of a tragic auto accident.

"God Will Make a Way" has been a favorite song of mine ever since. I remember singing it often, through tears, in the days and weeks after Andy's death. It is one of those that God has used many times since to remind me during other difficult times of the ways He worked during that time, and the ways He has worked during other dark days in the 15 years since.

And once again, God knew that I was going to need those words...and the reminders they bring...this week.

The other thing that God brought to mind almost instantly was this thought:

He will hold you in the palm of His hand.

I wasn't quite sure why, but that image has been on my mind often lately...God holding us in the palm of His hand. Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, I kept repeating to myself, "He is holding us in the palm of His hand..." I talked to the kids about God holding us in His hand, and prayed that God would continue to remind us of that.


Then last night in choir practice (another one of those times I was so tired I wasn't sure how I was going to stay awake through rehearsal, but I knew I *needed* to...), we pulled out a song we've worked on off and on all summer. It's a beautiful song I've loved since we first sight-read it. I had even started to blog about it earlier in the summer...one of those blog posts I've just "never gotten around to". :)

When we got to the last line of the chorus, the tears started streaming as I realized the origin of the word picture I had clung to so tightly during the past 36 hours...

"And hold you in the palm of His hand."

On Eagle's Wings

"You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in his shadow for life,
Say to the Lord,
'My refuge, my rock in Whom I trust!" 
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand. 
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand. 
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day;
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.
 For to His angels He's given a command
To guard you in all of your ways;
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand. "
~Michael Joncas(based on Psalm 91)

I am so thankful, again, that He giveth songs in the night. I found the quote by William Taylor earlier this summer. What a light-bulb moment! How much more precious are the songs He gives because of the nights in which they were given...and how much more precious and awesome is the Giver of the songs because of the way He wraps us up in His love and peace and joy through them.

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