Wednesday, November 24, 2010

it's thanksgiving, find something aweful to be thankful for!

So it's thanksgiving, which comes at a very appropriate time in my life since that is exactly what Spirit has been teaching me about. I am trying to give up whining and complaining, my Bryan will tell testify that it is still very much a work in progress. But it is my heart's desire to learn thanksgiving and acceptance right now while I have so many, many blessings! Here are a few of them:
My Bryan, whose been in my life for 10 years and many more to come!
My three babies Lucy, Jack and Calvin
My mom and dad, the best parents on the planet.
My sister, who takes her job as my sister very seriously and I love her for it.
My nephew Hollis and his sibling who will arrive in April 2011
The rest of my sweet family.
My house and Father's financial provision in our lives, He always takes care of us!
My friend Amanda and her family, I am glad to know you all.
Food in my cabinets and clothes on our backs

But most of all I am so, so thankful for Christ's work in my life. He is transforming me and has been long before I realized it. I am thankful for His endless mercy and grace, His love and total acceptance of me. I can not say enough about how accepting He has been to me and how much it means to me. When all else fails, He remains. Thank you Father!!

So those are the obvious blessings in my life, but He has been teaching me how important it is to be thankful in ALL things. Reading a book the other day I was reminded of a story that I first read as a kid. It is about Corrie Ten Boom when she was imprisoned at a Nazi camp. Her sister encouraged her to thank God for the fleas that infested there room. Reluctantly Corrie thanked God for the fleas. And months later discovered that because of the fleas the officers never bothered Corrie and her fellow inmates so long as they were in there room. How amazing to be thankful for something like fleas! So even though my life is quite blessed right now I want to be thankful for even those few yucky things in my life, here goes

For my kids constant whining and demanding spirit, which has shed light on my own whiny heart.
For the pain of childbirth as a testimony of the Holy Spirit's spiritual birth of me.
The crap going on at my church right now, because He has used it to show me how much I want to be liked and how much I make a god of being popular.
I am thankful for the mouse that has been running all over my house for the past month, I am thankful it's only a mouse and only one mouse.
For marital struggles which have been used more than anything else to teach me about life.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!