On Patience and Josiah {my novel, not my son}

Dear Reader,


Sometimes I have these moments ... 

I know you have them too.

I'm driving back from the school for the millionth time this week (it seems), just saying a silly little prayer because I don't know what to say but I know Who to ask, and it was merely a "I need something today, Jesus. Feeling a little off, a little empty, a little foggy."  

The song starts on the radio - just a few plucky strings and I turn it way up. Way up. The sound of the universe resonates in the heart like thumping base and weaving harmony. Tears pour down the cheeks and the only thought in the vacated mind is - 

That's it. Just what the longing soul needs to breathe. 

And I know it's just a song - a few letters un-jumbled to form lyrics and simply a note through vocal cords mixed with a couple strumming chords, but - 

Oh. My. Heart. Have you heard this? Have you let it get in you, opened your hands to it?





God of Mercy, sweet Love of mine
I have surrendered to Your design
May this offering stretch across the sky
These Hallelujahs be multiplied

[Go ahead. Play it again. Turn it way up and sing it really loud.]


So - sometimes God answers with an immediate gift like that, right in the very moment I'm already praying it ...

And sometimes He takes His sweet time. That's one cup sassy and one cup genuine too, because His timing is always sweet; it's always good. Good for me, that is. 

Waiting tries the character trait of patience like fire tries the silver, and who said life is without burns? They were wrong.

I'm mature enough to recognize the impatience now, when it comes. It comes like quick bursts of snappy words and my eyes rolling before I can stop them and a loud tone I wish I could reel back into my voice box. And I'm old enough to recognize when God's trying to get through to me about things like patience. Like when I read about it in my Spurgeon devotional and also in my son's homework planner (?!) and also in between the lines of old journals.

Wait. Be still. Hold on. Don't rush. Live in the now.

Breathe.

Yesterday I was looking through old journals (don't you just love doing that?) as I was unpacking. I came across a few pages from over six years ago and immediately recognized it as a conception of sorts. It was an epiphany about the character of a biblical figure named King Josiah, and the beginning of a journey with God that would take me on a grueling path of researching, writing, re-writing, sharing, reading, editing, and pouring out my heart in a historical fiction. It will be published soon. In His sweet timing, that is. *wink* Because not all prayers are answered in an instant. 

Here's an excerpt from that journal entry, and stay tuned because soon I'll be posting a few excerpts of the manuscript, soon. Just for you, Sweet Reader.

2 Kings 23
King Josiah personally saw to it that the nation of Judah was cleansed of all idolatry and disobedience against God. He traveled the nation for however long it would take to purify the land with the help of his administration and priests. He could have said, "God and do it" to the army, but his passion for the nation and against idolatry was so deeply personal that he had to see the destruction of each statue, temple, and pole with his own eyes. He wanted to set flame to the wood wit his own hands. To personally see to it that Judah was truly rid of its idolatry and sacrilege against his God. I can just picture him saying, "No nation I rule shall ever contain a single blasphemous stone or pillar against my LORD. No. Not on my watch."
And it took years, camping on the hillside when he could have been enjoying royal feasts, kingly quarters, and the most beautiful women. Like many of his fathers had done before him. Yet with the wisdom of but 20 years he followed his zeal for God up every single high hill and under every tall tree to seek out and destroy that which angered God and made Him burn with jealousy.
Would that we had that passion for God's holiness! What would our nation look like? What would our neighborhoods look like? What would our hearts look like? No, we can't set fire to every adult bookstore and Mosque. By God's grace of the cross He has chosen a different covenant for us.
However, we can set fire to the false gods in our hearts. We should tear down every altar in our life which does not give sole glory to Jesus. We can have the zeal of Josiah and personally see to it that our hearts and lives are conformed to the purpose of serving Him alone. Not the idol of self, not the altar of materialism, not the asherah pole of lust, not the incense altar of pride. We may not be rulers of a nation, but God has made us people of influence. 
Jesus - reform me, conform me, cleanse me, refine me with Your fire. Help me to take every thought captive to You. May I personally and daily tear down my idols which I honor more than I honor You. Show me how to be the leader Josiah was, not permitting a single stone to stand if it did not stand for You. I want to be more like You every day. I want to see progress in my life toward holiness, movement toward You and Your goodness. Light a fire in my heart for honoring You and never let it die.
I may not be king or queen or president, but You have made me a person of influence in my workplace, my home, my friendships, and my church. Help me, LORD. Stir up your fire in me. 
Amen


That was it. Just what a longing soul needed to breathe. One breath at a time. An idea became a concept, which became a story, which became characters and plot and words and pages and ... Just you wait!



Excitedly patient,

Robyn
#comingsoon #ConsumingFire

When You Feel Hopelessness and Doom {Sabbath Bread}

"The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
    because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
    heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
    pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
    a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
    and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
    give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
    a praising heart instead of a languid spirit."  
                      -Isaiah 61:1-3 (Msg)






O God, what can we say to this love that draws us to Your Son with irresistible magnetism? Nothing can separate us from this love that rescues us from our prison cells and darkest pits. When all hope is lost, You pursue us and announce Your love that brings joy and freedom. Deliver our hearts today - from every scheme and trap the devil deceives us into thinking we're stuck in hopelessly. Thank You for this restoration You offer me every day - You redeem me from the evil of this world, the attack of my enemy, the despair of my circumstances, and the sorrow of death and loss. We need your beauty to replace these ashes, Lord. Only Your love can restore our hope.

photo credit: Terry Foote via flickr creative commons

Fear or Security - You Choose {Sabbath Bread}

Yes, the sky really is this blue here. It's a "fluffy cloud day," as my friend Renae fondly refers to them. 

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ... I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." -John 8:32, 34-36 (NLT)

"... regardless of what may come our way, God's people are safe. Let the solid earth shake and let the skies be torn in row, yet even amid the destruction of the world, believers remain as secure as they are during their calmest times of rest. And if the Lord does not save His people under heaven, He will save them in heaven... Stand upon His promises, rest in His faithfulness, and you can defy even the darkest future, for nothing can harm you. Your only concern should be to exhibit to the world the blessedness of obeying the Voice of wisdom." -Spurgeon 

"He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor." - Psalm 91:4 (TLB)

Oh God, Your love amazes me again today and I'm humbled to repentance as I recall lists of fears where I should have stood on Your faithful promises as my armor. This fear that strangles, this worry that creeps - oh how I hate how my enemy infiltrates my mind with illusion and doubt. Jesus, You died to set me free from the sin of fear, the trap of fear, and the illusion of fear, and I have no business living in the prison cell for even another moment. If I do, it is not Your fault, but my choice. Perhaps my thinking is ignorant or deceived or foolish. Or perhaps mere forgetfulness is to blame. But no - not today. Today I remind my soul and preach to my heart of Your faithful track record. You have never failed me and You won't. Today I refuse fear and I deliberately choose to receive with open hands the freedom You have paid for so dearly to emancipate this mind from terror. Please reveal to me any illusions of fear the devil has pulled over my eyes and wake me up to Your peace and security. Thank You for this freedom. 

It's the Little Things {Thankful on Thursday}

If you've been with me for a while, you know the drill. We choose gratitude together every day and help each other see the gifts with eyes looking at the Giver. On Thursdays I we share a few of these gifts here. And if you're new here in the nest, I should tell you that choosing joy and a life of thanksgiving was a turning point for me when I was in a really bad way a few years ago. A friend gave me a book that I now recommend to everyone I can about giving thanks and, well, you really just have to try it. 

One important thing to share with my new readers is that I count these gifts, like counting the ways He loves me. 

I had recently spent three weeks of the summer away from my children (the longest yet) while they were living it up with the grandparents. There may or may not have been excessive ice cream and chocolate involved. I'll never know. But when K caught a glimpse of my gratitude journal among my book stack, she asked, "Have you gotten to 5,000 yet?" At first I had no clue what she was talking about. Five thousand times I've agonized over this transition? Five thousand times I've wished God would just go ahead and hurry up already? Five thousand words I've shouted at Daddy because I'm tense and he's the closest thing I have to a scapegoat? Five thousand reasons I hate packing? "Five thousand what, honey?" I finally ask.

"Five thousand gifts, Mama." 

Oh, that. "Let's see - nope, not quite. But almost."

Leave it to my tween to bring me down to earth. Back to sanity.

Because gratitude is the door to joy and joy is the antidote to all this insanity surrounding me.

So, without further ado - a few gifts from my list. But, please - don't just read mine - add your own too in the comments below. Let's encourage one another's hearts as we point with hands full of gifts to the Giver who is so generous. 

- generous love offering from T&C, neighbors who love with words and deeds

- a delicious burger at a new restaurant, and fun birthday celebration with family

- giving baby B her bottle, and sweet wrinkle-nose faces

- news from afar, and the amazing way You sustain my heart afloat with hope

- deep riches, promises, love found in Isaiah 43 - every delicious morsel of Your word

- PL's sermon about bitterness, and his challenge to forgive rather than sit in a "hot-tub full of pus" [no lie - that was his analogy!]

- getting to meet interesting people with astonishing testimonies at a church picnic

- laughing with J about the "dirty rotten bird" who had the audacity to sing outside his window and wake him up

- "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." -John 3:27

- long talks with old friends

Lord, thank You for all of this and so much more. Thank You for Your generosity, and for giving me everything I have, tangible and not. You love me far more than I deserve and if I could give it all back to honor You, I would. For now I have this - Thank You. Let it be enough.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ― Epicurus

Everything You Have Promised {Sabbath Bread}

"Even though you are so high above,

  you care for the lowly,

    and the proud cannot hide from you.

When I am surrounded by troubles

you keep me safe.

You oppose my angry enemies

    and save me by your power.

You will do everything you have promised;

    Lord, your love is eternal.

    Complete the work that you have begun."

-Psalm 138:6-8 (GNT)

Oh God, today I am reminded once again of your Sovereign power and control over the circumstances of my life. I am so impatient sometimes, so demanding, so anxious for control. Surrounded by troubles and enemies and then ... Your peace flowing to overflowing, making every empty striving void full of the calm only You offer. And how could I ask for more. May this awakening of Your faithfulness and every kept promise make me alive like never before. Alive in You by Your grace. Let Your glory invade me until I wake up to Your peace. Finish this work you've started until I spill over with Your goodness. 

Sabbath Bread {Pearl}

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. He discovered a real bargain—a pearl of great value—and sold everything he owned to purchase it!" - Matthew 13:45-46 (TLB)

[She isn't a Christian artist that I know of, but this song says it so well. How I feel today.]


Lord, You've given me so many gifts of loveliness, so many I could never count, though I do try. But I would let You take it all away if You needed to. But not You. I never want to let go of my grip on You. I'd sell it all for a moment in Your arms, and I'd let go of every treasure this world could offer because You are my true desire. To see Your face. To hold Your hand. Everything is worthless compared to that. 

"Therefore, since you have such a Friend and He invites you to come, why not receive from Him daily? Never go without when you have a God to go to, and never fear or faint when God is there to help you. Go to your treasure and take whatever you need, for He has more than you could even want. Learn the divine skill of allowing God to be all things to you. He can supply everything you need, or better yet, He Himself can be all you need." - Charles Spurgeon [emphasis mine]

Sabbath Bread {Content with Calvary}

"And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left."

-Luke 23:33 (NKJV)

"I have learned how to be content with whatever I have."

- Philippians 4:11 (NLT)

"Often the bitter herbs of Gethsemane have taken away the bitterness of your life, the scourge of Gabbatha often has scourged away your worries, and the groans of Golgotha have produced unthinkably rich comfort for you. We would never have known the full height and depth of Christ's love if He had not died, nor would we  have even been able to guess of the Father's deep affection if He had not given His Son to die." -Charles Spurgeon

Lord, I have You. Your ransom of my soul is what You wanted to give me. I want to learn like Paul did, the secret of contentment, of joy - wanting nothing more than my Sovereign King gives me. Wanting what I have and letting it be enough. Calvary - Your brutal death and abundant bloodshed to pay for my forever with You - is enough. It covers not only my failures, but all I could ever desire.

How to Give Kids {and our own hearts} Answers When There are None

Franklin Regional School District, the place where both of my Treasures attend classes and also where I work, made national news yesterday - for all the wrong and evil reasons.

We parents reel and look each other in the eyes as we pick up our children from lockdown, and it hurts and hurts and hurts. We're all asking the same question and coming up empty - "How could this happen here?" This empty, answer-less void stabs our souls over and over with only more questions unanswerable. 

"How will I explain this to my ten-year-old?"

"How do I send them back into the place of danger that never should have been called that?"

"Why would any child or adolescent in the supposed-happy years of life turn against his classmates?"

"How does this keep happening in our schools?"

"What do we do with this fear? This terror? How do we declare war on children?"

"When will this ever end?"

My Guy and I watch the news when we can, when the Treasures are normal-resilient playing outside on a sunny spring day, and going to bed, thankfully sleepy. We watch the footage of the boy in cuffs and we both say it in shock at the same time - "Look at him - he's just a baby!"

And it's there again - the void of unknown - the question we can't stop asking. How could this happen?

When four are critical, twenty-two are stabbed, two more hurt besides - and the weapons are steak knives in the hands of a child I'm sorry, but there will be no answering of that question today, and maybe not ever. Try as they might, experts and psychologists and crisis analysts won't come up with anything palatable, much less swallow-able.

And my friends and relatives keep asking me - how are you explaining this to them? 

I suppose the answer is - I'm not.

And while I may not have answers to those questions, that doesn't mean I'm without any answers. I still have Truth, and as we sit down at the dinner table after a day of reeling and tears, I bring it with me - the Word. Because when you don't know what to say, you say what He knows. And you give your Treasures The Treasure He graciously pours. 

We tell them what we know. Evil, wrong, angry choices - it's all here on this fallen globe. We'll not escape it as long as these mortal lungs draw breath. Sometimes the best answers come from our own hearts, so instead of telling them, I ask them. Why do you think people hurt others like this? It's my boy who pipes up. "Anger makes people do stupid things." And who can argue? We look up some verses about anger and sin and evil. He's right. Anger is not sin, but it gives Evil a place for his foot in our hearts. (Eph. 4:27)

More of what we know - people need love. And we have been given it. I ask again, hoping they will find the answer in the searching together. How would God want us to respond here? They both answer this time. "Care for them. Pray for them. Tell them about Jesus." One of my Treasures chimes in with this and I'm breathless. Struck. 

"We need to pray for that guy. It will be hard for people to forgive him."

Of course. It's the answer to everything unanswerable. We pray.

Because when we look into the void and the dark pain, we can see past the cavern to the One who holds the Light. And He has the answers we seek, though we might not get them all right now. 

Answers like Forgiveness. Hope. Love. Restoration. 

The developmentalist in me wants to answer the question in my title for you, Dear Reader. I want to tell you if your child is between the ages of x and y, you say z; if she is older than a or b, you say c. And m plus n will equal all better. 

But I can't. Grief has no formula and some questions can only be answered by more questions.

So, I'll leave you with this.: 

Love your Treasures.
Squeeze them tight every day,
Not just the tragic ones.
Give them Truth,
Help them open their hands to It.
Don't pretend you know,
When you don't.
Be there, present.
Look into eyes and listen,
Listen to the heart between the words.
And when the unanswerable hurts,
Bring them to the Healer.

Lord, bring Your answers and Your healing here. Touch lives with hope like only You have. Show us how to love, how to forgive, how to step forward with courage. Pour out Your sovereign comfort as You show us who You are. Please heal these cuts to flesh and cuts to souls. Draw our hearts closer to Yours. Amen

"Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes." - Psalm 37:5-7 (NLT)

Sabbath Bread {A Long Drink of Salvation}

“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,

    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.

I’ll give you the best of care

    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.

Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;

    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.

I’ll give you a long life,

    give you a long drink of salvation!”

-Psalm 91:14-16 (Msg)

Oh, Jesus - I know my part. 
Hold onto You with desperate abandon,
get to know and trust you while I'm here on this planet, 
and call out to You when I get into trouble. 
If I'll do those things, 
You'll get me out of every mess, 
bring me into Your promise, 
and satisfy my thirst for more than this flesh can contain. 
I am truly undeserving of a Love this abundant, 
yet I open my hands to as much of it as I can hold. 

Thank you Lord. 

Sabbath Bread {When the Trumpet Sounds in the Sky}

"Let us rejoice and be happy

    and give God glory,

because the wedding of the Lamb has come,

    and the Lamb’s bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear.”

(The fine linen means the good things done by God’s holy people.)

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding meal of the Lamb!” And the angel said, “These are the true words of God.”

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband.

-Revelation 19:7-9, 21:2 (NCV)

"His righteousness, His blood, and everything He inherited from the Father He gives as the dowry to us who are known as His bride. So rejoice, dear believer, in your union with Him who 'was numbered with the transgressors,' and prove you are truly saved by living a life that makes it abundantly clear that you are 'numbered with' those who are a 'new creation' (2 Cor. 5:17) in Him." - Charles Spurgeon (Morning by Morning)

Lord, this is our Glorious Hope. Help us live our lives worthy of having been saved. You are worthy.

Thankful on Thursdays {and a little about comfort}

"It seems the last thing we do when depressed is turn to God. But for believers, He should never be the place of  'last resort.' " - Jim Reimann

Guilty.

Well, not today, but I have been there, believe me. It's like I see this pattern in my life and I hate it, but can't break out of it sometimes. I have been desperate, discouraged, depressed, disparaging, and pretty much every other d- word you want to add, all at the same time, spiraling me down into a pit of darkness that seems to be without escape, once again. And I see myself falling, as if watching myself outside of myself, and do you know what myself does? She scrambles for everything but Jesus. 

Sweets, sleep, venting to friends, taking my frustration out on my husband or kids, caffeine, exercise, obsessive cleaning, crafting, weeping, scrounging, web-wandering - and tons of other attempts to take my own comfort into my own hands and will myself to feel better and do better and be enough ... shew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it, aren't you?

I've learned a break-out-of-the-spiral-free trick, though. At first it took me getting all the way down to the bottom and having to cry out to Him in desperation, but through constant practice I've been trained my the Master in the fine art of how not to scramble, how not to use Jesus as a last resort. Because that's just ridiculousness, that's what it is!

Why would we ever choose to make turning to God our last resort when He is the One who offers it best, most, and to the uttermost? 

"God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort." -2 Corinthians 1:3b (NLT)

And my trick? You guessed it - 

Gratitude

Because since I started counting my gifts from God, the ways He loves me and gives me little pieces of joy every. single. day., well - since gratitude became my habit, I find the comfort I need at the top of the spiraling slide instead of at the bottom of the dark pit, and I find He gives me the strength to step back from the edge and rest in His arms without having to go through the exhaustion. And while I know I have been and can still be guilty at times of choosing Jesus as my last resort, I have also found that it doesn't HAVE to be that way. The other day I felt it - the onset of another cloud of depression. Instead of clawing for comfort with my hands, though, I chose to open them. To look at what He was giving just then, and thank Him for it. Write it in my running journal (I just passed #4,000 this week and had to make myself journal #13 -sooo lucky!), and keep counting the comforts from the Source of all comfort, My Father. 

And lest you go jumping off the conclusion bridge and think I'm bragging or something insane like that, let me just tell you - it's not me. He had to do this, show me this, teach me this, give me this. I would not know this anti-depressant called gratitude if not for my Savior and His glorious love-grace. I would know no comfort outside of His, and yet because I do know it - I would really like to share it with you too. 

So here are a few of my counted blessings, for which I've chosen to thank and praise the only One worthy, and I hope you are counting by now too. Because that spiral to darkness and despair is not one I'd wish on my worst enemy, much less my precious reader. Count with me, Dear One. This gratitude is our tether to hope. Let us choose to make Him what He is - the Alpha and Omega, our first, last, and only resort for comfort.

- fluffy snowflakes, and the courageous song of one bird this morning

- hugging J tight before he goes off to school, and these arms to hold him

- "... no one has ever done more to show you the you were unloved than God has done to show you that you are loved." - Beth Moore, on the sin of unbelief [in Breaking Free]

- laughing with T about our common difficulty with people who don't finish their sentences

- this novel on my Nook, and enjoyment of a page-turner 

- the warmth beneath heavy blankets

- the privilege of helping my Guy

- for this sustained focus in my thoughts on heaven and on You - it's been weeks now ...

- for Your forgiveness again today, and Your Blood that cleanses to the uttermost

- sharing a verse with K on our new chalkboard

- the privilege to write for others who ask

- "I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering." -Isaiah 48:10 (NLT) 


Lord, once again this is my gratitude - not only my survival tether, but my worship - and the benefits go both ways until we are united as one in this dance of grace. I ask that You help keep me here, and show others the way to make You the first resort to comfort instead of the last. You are so worthy, Father. And we are so thankful. Amen

photo credit: Donna Brok

Care to share a couple of your counted blessing-tethers also? Please slip them right into the comments box below, and add your praises rising...

Sabbath Bread {desire}

"Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the Lord,
    and He will give you your heart’s desires.

 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes."

                        -Psalm 37:3-7 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Father - we are hungry for Your will, and our food is to do it. We wait for You to act, and choose not to worry when wickedness seems to prosper all around us. What we want most is what You want to give us, the desires of our hearts both planted and fulfilled by Your sovereign hand. Today once again we choose to trust You, doing the hard work trust requires - the hard work of opening our hands and releasing the control. Be it waves, flames, or river's current - we will brave it all with Your help that we may get to You. 

Sabbath Bread {The Way to Joy}

What is better than any treasure, greater than anything I'm offered?

"The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.

God’s Word is better than a diamond,
    better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better than red, ripe strawberries." - Psalm 19:7-10 (Msg) [emphasis mine]

Thank You, Father, for the revelation, knowledge, and power of Your truth. I long for You and find satisfaction, delight in seeing You on the pages. Your wisdom is more valuable than any earthly gift, better than all treasures in the universe. Thank You for making Yourself, Your wisdom known to me today. I choose to open these hands, this heart to You. Would You fill me with an overwhelming measure of Yourself today ... 





Drink deep of the Lord's presence today, Dear Soul. He is here, waiting to be found by those who seek with desperation, contrition, and reverence. May you be blessed this day by the revelation He gives of His wisdom and good ways. May we follow His good paths and find Him here.

Sabbath Bread {daily expect this}

"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness." 

- 2 Peter 3:11-13 (The Message)

Lord, thank You for this hope. You might come today, Jesus - and I want You to make me ready in every way to see You. Refine me, Father. Fill my soul afresh with this glorious hope and perspective. This could be the day you open the heavens and lift us out of this wreckage into the hope of the aftermath. All I am hinges on this hope - today could be the day I see Your face. 

Thankful on Thursday {without anxiety}

I pull out the Scripture-printed leaf at random from my bag of gratitude verses. It's perfect, as if The Holy Spirit handed it to me Himself:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

And of course I have some anxious thoughts to lay down at the Cross today. Some days are harder than others.

But it's every situation that needs prayer (surrender), petition (asking the One who can and does provide), and thanksgiving (gratitude for who He is and everything He gives). This is the way to submit requests to the God who set the stars in place and keeps every atom of my frame. Truly the only way to approach Him with the honor He deserves. 

It's hard times like this when I need gratitude most. So why has my journal not been filling as fast these past few weeks? How can I remind my soul that I need to thank? That it's the best coping I have ...

Eucharisteo. Thankful joy for grace given from on High. Eight english words I just had for one in Greek. And that's just what gratitude does: reduces my focus back from all the anxious what-if's into the surrender of thank-You. Peace I couldn't manufacture. Stability only He offers.

On Thursdays I share a few of my counted gifts. I've found counting them keeps me thanking, and I hope the same joy for you. If you haven't ever started a journey to seek joy on the path of gratitude, I encourage you to begin today, because it's today when He's giving something to you. Do you see it? Are your hands open? Will you secure the holding of it by saying thank-you to Him before the devil snatches it away? Here are a few of my counted blessings - I hope they will inspire you to start (or keep) counting too!

- a little toddler carrying a baby-doll in the parking lot to the grocery store

- affordable glasses for J, and that we live in a nation where he can get them ... and also for insurance and health care

- inspiration for some bookmarks made from my paper scraps, and the freedom to get the paper back out again

- "Perhaps life on this fallen earth is no longer meant to be perfect, but we were meant to trust the One who is. Suffering is God's tool to expose our false belief, and the mess in intended to drive us back to the only sure hope we can have." - Gary Thomas [in Authentic Faith]  

- fat squirrels chasing each other in the rain

- homemade caramel pop-corn

- funny games with my toddler-niece at the table: "Whose belly is this?!"

- this invitation to follow You that humbles me. Floors me.

- tiny squeaks and snuggles with my newborn-niece - nothing fixes hurt hearts like baby-fixes, Lord. Pure therapy - thank You.

- "Fearing people is a dangerous trap,but trusting the Lord means safety." - Proverbs 29:25

- hope (a precious gift in and of itself) expectant - waiting for good; Your definition of good

- free Beth Moore books on my new Nook - and time to read at work

- K & J fighting over a "blessing" at the store - You have a good sense of humor, Jesus

- for daily bread, and daily Bread; enough for my tummy and my soul

- sudoku, and the gift of mindless stress-relief

-  “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." - Jeremiah 31:33 (NLT)

- laughing and catching up with R again at Panera

- this veil to protect my heart

-  "Your need seems great to you, but it is nothing for Me to bestow on you. Help you? Fear not! If you had a mere ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it wouldn't bankrupt you to give him a handful of your wheat. And yet, in comparison, you are not even a tiny insect when you stand at the door of My all-sufficiency. 'I myself will help you.' (Isaiah 41:14)" - Charles Spurgeon 

Lord, You deserve my utmost gratitude, for You give abundantly every day, every hour, every breath. Jesus, I am thankful again today and I pray You will be honored and praised through this counting. May You use these words to inspire others to praise You as well in their own looking, counting, thanking, praising. You alone, Oh God are the Giver we seek. You alone hold our hope and our strength. I am so thankful for You.