Living with gratitude in 2016

How often do we recount our blessings?  How often do we stop throughout the day, look at our lives and have a thankful heart for all God has kept us from, the many times He's protected us and our family, for all His blessings and provisions, for just the beauty that surrounds us?

I have been guilty of operating with an ungrateful heart many times in my life.  It's easy to judge others, talk negatively, find fault, fall into depression, want more and more.  None of that is healthy.  None of it uplifts and encourages, it just wears a person down.

When I focus on what I'm thankful for I find life is more peaceful.  Somehow when operating life with a grateful heart hope blooms, joy fills the air, love fills the room and I tend to forget about the little things that try to nag at me or wake me up at the wee hours of the morning.  When those things enter my mind...the best thing I can do is turn them over to God and thank Him for taking care of them and thank Him for all the blessings He so richly pours out on my life.

I for one am looking forward to 2016!.  What does God have in store?! I know I will be blessed to share life with my amazing husband, watch my daughters continue to grow and succeed, enjoy my beautiful grandson and create new memories with family and friends.  Life has never been sweeter!

2016 is here and there's never been a better time to start living with gratitude!

The power of the invisible

For those of us who rely on modern day technology, wifi has become a necessity.  We have passwords to connect to different servers all over the place.  Our phones, notebooks, laptops are all programmed to connect automatically.  We use it to save money, have a better connection, reduce our data usage.  It is a modern day life saver.

Just as wifi connects us to the social world...faith connects us to the Master's hand.  It is our bridge to receiving His gifts, His insight, His heart.  It is our life saver.

I don't know how or when I first began exercising my portion of faith...but I did.  My faith in God and His ability to see me through the best and worst of times has always carried me.  Even during the times when I had walked away from God - I always knew He loved me and was just waiting for me to call upon Him.  I have faith that God is protecting my children, my grandson, my marriage, my husband and our families.  I have faith that God makes a way for us when we can't see the way and that He is moving on our behalf.  I have faith in God's ability - not mine. 

Now I know we all go through times when we call upon Him more...but maybe, just maybe we should start making sure we are connected to Him with the same intensity we make sure we are connected to our wifi.  We should trust God has the power to transform our lives just as we trust an invisible wireless internet connection.

As we start looking towards 2016 - let's check our faith connection.  Let's make sure we are totally and completely connected to Him.

Tests

During this season when emotions run high, energy levels are peaking and plunging, and rest is scarce we should try to keep this thought in the back of our mind.

I am not very good at practicing patience.  I dive right into things and man it just makes me mad at myself when I step back, hit rewind and replay the minutes, hours, days I wasted, leaving me disappointed and even at times, those around me.

What I hope to accomplish this season is the - take a breath and pause effect.  I want to be wise to the tests that come my way and know that not everything works out exactly as I think they should...but they will work out (eventually).

Thank you God for your mercies, they are new each and every morning.  Thank you God for your gifts, they are plentiful.  Thank you God for your spirit, it's with me at all times.

Starting over requires patience and pliability.

Here's to a beautiful Christmas Season - filled with love, joy, peace, forgiveness, and understanding! - May we all pass the tests!!

Rest in God

I am once again reminded to let go - and let God.

I have this TERRIBLE habit of trying to fix things.  I find myself trying to make things better and sometimes in the process I just make them worse.  I'm often reminded by my better half that I need to just slow down and let God take care of things.  This morning as I was getting ready for work I just felt the Lord telling me He's in full control.  I love Him and His timely reminders.

I was reading a devotional that was speaking to those of us who are this way...the author was telling us instead of worrying about it, fretting over it, talking about it...it would be in our favor to just take it to God and leave it there.  Let Him sort out the details.  Let Him make the changes where necessary.  Let Him take care of the just and the unjust.

Today I'm giving my best effort to just stand still and see the mercies of God move.

Let God fight my battles, let Him arrange my miracles, let Him move and bless as He sees fit!  In that - I am exercising my faith - growing stronger in Him!!  

Love that no matter what life throws our way - we have a God who's still alive and cares so much about each and every one of us.

A grateful heart

Last night my husband and I attended a community Christmas Concert here in our hometown.  We listened to people of all ages and religious affiliations perform.  As the music filled the room where we were all gathered, there was a sense of reverence that settled in.  We sat, dressed in our best, side by side with people who chose to come out in the cold to celebrate the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ. 

As I sat there and felt the weight and warmth of my husband's arm around my shoulder I began thanking God for a beautiful year.  He's blessed me with so much.  There was a time, just a few years ago that I gave up praying for a love like I've been given.  I know so many of us have been right where I was.  Just feeling as though life will never smell sweet again, taste flavorful, feel soft....just kind of going through the motions.  Today I stand as a blessed woman.  Fully testifying of the goodness of God.  I serve a faithful God and I'm so thankful He knows our needs, wants, desires and wants nothing more than to grant us more than we ever hope for.

I know there are days when I find myself begin to grumble and complain and I need to be more conscience of that when it happens - for I am blessed beyond measure and have nothing to be sad about.  God is so good!

As we start over - we have to remember...we are truly starting over.  Let us embrace our blessings and thank God for all He's given us!  It will change our perspective and perhaps change our life's direction - I know it has mine!

A few rules to starting over

How true are these?

They seem so simple and yet so complicated when you're trying to start over in life.  

I can remember feeling like there was no way I'd ever be able to make peace with the past.  I know I spent countless hours worrying what others thought about me, I can remember trying to focus on other people and their problems so I wouldn't need to focus on mine.  I obsessed over the lack of control I had in my life.  I looked to other people to fill the void in my life and made too many bad decisions which didn't allow me to truly smile.  I was down and out and dang it, I had a right to be! Or at least I felt like I had that right.

What I didn't realize during my pity party was that I was robbing myself of so much joy.  I was denying God full access into my life and was setting a negative tone in my home with my daughters.  I had it all wrong.  I know so many others do it right - but I didn't.  It wasn't until I allowed rule number 3 to happen that I allowed my heart and mind to connect.  It wasn't until I allowed God to have full control that I began healing.  It wasn't until I realized that God's plan for my life was far better than my own that my smile returned.

Today as I look back I can see just how blinded I was in the storm.  I let the wind and rain distort my views.  I'm so thankful God was faithful and walked me through it all.  I'm so thankful that He's restored and blessed me with more than I ever imagined I'd have.  I'm so thankful He holds the world, all it's problems and challenges in His hands.

I am so thankful for God's hand in my life - His blessings are countless!

If you don't have the peace of God in your life I challenge you to give Him a try.

Here's to starting over!

Pura Vida!

Pure Life - Enjoy Life - Simply Life

#CostaRica

During the last 10 days my husband and I were blessed to be able to spend our honeymoon in Costa Rica.  What a beautiful place, such kind people sharing a common value - to enjoy life. 

As we traveled through the land on foot or by van, bus, and boat...we found ourselves in conversation discussing just how precious our life is.  We truly embraced their spirit...soaking in all the treasures found throughout the day.  Our adventure took us to three different cities...Monteverde, Arenal, and Manuel Antonio.  Each place offered new views, new tours, new people, new memories.  We found ourselves in awe of our surroundings, taking nothing for granted.

We discovered we each had some preformed opinions about the life of Costa Ricans...how wrong we were.  It didn't matter what their living situation was...whether in a $300,000 home or a $3,000 home - they were all so happy.  They seemed to have an appreciation of life that most never grasp, it was so beautiful to witness and become enveloped in.

I know for some of us we grab a hold of the value of the day early on in life - perhaps tragedy brought on the revelation - perhaps something spiritual...but not everyone tastes the beauty of every day life.  Today I want to challenge us all to look around and find the beauty in your life.  Do you have food, water, shelter, clothing?  Do you have a job, health care, transportation?  Do you have a friend or loved one you can bless?  Do you have the ability to walk, see, taste, smell, breathe?  So many aren't afforded the opportunity to enjoy these luxuries.  

We all have something to be thankful for.

I am blessed beyond measure to have found a man who's not only my best friend but someone who reminds me to slow down, stay in the moment, smile, thank God for His goodness and loves me so much that he's willing to bend his knees in prayer for me and so many others he cares about.

I'm blessed to have children who call me mom and a grandson who's arms raise to be held by his gramma - so blessed!!

So to you all I say Pura Vida!!

Starting over has brought such joy in my life.