‘Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.
Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.
Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.’
John Henry Jowett
It’s Friday and I am oh so thankful for many things. First, to be where I am today having come so far it seems. I have been reflecting this week on how I feel about it all, I mean, the journey so far. All in all, I choose to be optimistic and see the twists and turns in my life have had lasting purpose. It is as it should be and as God has intended for it to be all along. I stand firmly grounded today in the certainty that I have a wonderful life, I love my husband and I believe in him wholeheartedly, and I am so incredibly blessed to have four wonderful children. God is so good! My mind has also wandered to consider as I begin this new job, where do I see myself going from here? Well, a few things I’ve determined. I know what I am capable of. What I am gifted for, purposed for, passionate about is to first and foremost be who God has called me to be. I am looking forward to singing with the worship team at church in the near future and I know God will continue to place opportunities before me to utilize that gift. I have a strong desire to lead a women’s home study group again and I am prayerfully considering the time and place for that to start. For now, I feel like God has spoken very clearly to me to rest, be patient and wait on His perfect timing. With an 8-5 work day for both of us, and a few hours in the evening left to get the day to day stuff done, baths, bed time and prep for the next day, there is just no time other than to sit down and crash before it all starts again. I remember thinking years ago, I don’t know how working Mom’s do it and I could never do that. Well, here I am, doing it. Yes, my house is messy most of the time and some days I want to pull my hair out and scream because I realize the time I have to clean up and recover and somehow enjoy some time with my family before collapsing out of sheer exhaustion…well, it is gone and I find myself wishing I had a few more hours. Do I wish it could be different? Yes, most certainly. Does that mean I don’t appreciate what I have today? No, I appreciate it all because I have worked very hard to get to where I am today. God has blessed me abundantly, and I am thankful for how the partnership between God’s provision and my initiative has made me who I am today. I am learning more and more each day, as I study, pray, consider what life has thrown in front of me, that the key is a harmony in mindset between gratitude and joy. Without this, we will slowly shrivel up and die. I won’t go down that road, although I’ve veered that direction and it would have been easier to linger there, wallow, and choose to give up instead of turning the other direction and moving forward. That could be a great study subject. I’ll have to give that some serious thought, maybe start putting it into writing. Now to find the time and the energy to do it!
Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.
Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.’
John Henry Jowett
It’s Friday and I am oh so thankful for many things. First, to be where I am today having come so far it seems. I have been reflecting this week on how I feel about it all, I mean, the journey so far. All in all, I choose to be optimistic and see the twists and turns in my life have had lasting purpose. It is as it should be and as God has intended for it to be all along. I stand firmly grounded today in the certainty that I have a wonderful life, I love my husband and I believe in him wholeheartedly, and I am so incredibly blessed to have four wonderful children. God is so good! My mind has also wandered to consider as I begin this new job, where do I see myself going from here? Well, a few things I’ve determined. I know what I am capable of. What I am gifted for, purposed for, passionate about is to first and foremost be who God has called me to be. I am looking forward to singing with the worship team at church in the near future and I know God will continue to place opportunities before me to utilize that gift. I have a strong desire to lead a women’s home study group again and I am prayerfully considering the time and place for that to start. For now, I feel like God has spoken very clearly to me to rest, be patient and wait on His perfect timing. With an 8-5 work day for both of us, and a few hours in the evening left to get the day to day stuff done, baths, bed time and prep for the next day, there is just no time other than to sit down and crash before it all starts again. I remember thinking years ago, I don’t know how working Mom’s do it and I could never do that. Well, here I am, doing it. Yes, my house is messy most of the time and some days I want to pull my hair out and scream because I realize the time I have to clean up and recover and somehow enjoy some time with my family before collapsing out of sheer exhaustion…well, it is gone and I find myself wishing I had a few more hours. Do I wish it could be different? Yes, most certainly. Does that mean I don’t appreciate what I have today? No, I appreciate it all because I have worked very hard to get to where I am today. God has blessed me abundantly, and I am thankful for how the partnership between God’s provision and my initiative has made me who I am today. I am learning more and more each day, as I study, pray, consider what life has thrown in front of me, that the key is a harmony in mindset between gratitude and joy. Without this, we will slowly shrivel up and die. I won’t go down that road, although I’ve veered that direction and it would have been easier to linger there, wallow, and choose to give up instead of turning the other direction and moving forward. That could be a great study subject. I’ll have to give that some serious thought, maybe start putting it into writing. Now to find the time and the energy to do it!
Comments