A Full Heart

What a lovely Thanksgiving holiday we had. As much as I love Christmas, I love that we have this extra week of November to savor the holiday where we reflect and give thanks. I have been doing just that too.

I have learned that a thankful attitude is very important in life. When you have a thankful attitude, you can look up with a grateful heart and get glimpses of glory and what is waiting for us in heaven one day. Thankfulness is a language of love that allows you to communicate intimately with our Lord. A thankful mind-set does not deny reality or any of the problems that come along with that. Instead, it rejoices in the Lord, my Savior, in the mists of trials and tribulations. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. -Colossians 3:15 I give my God thanks regardless of my feelings, and he gives me joy regardless of my circumstances. 

Thankfulness opens my heart to His presence and my mind to His thoughts. When I thank the Lord frequently as I journey through my day, it makes it more possible to pray without ceasing. The apostle Paul taught that if I am serious about learning to pray continually, the best approach is to thank the Lord in every situation. These prayers of thanks provide a solid foundation on which I can build all my other prayers. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 A grateful attitude also makes it easier for me to communicate with God. If I practice thankfulness consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker.

Each day is a blessing from the Lord and we need to rejoice in each day that He gives us. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 I want to strive to pray without ceasing and give thanks to the Lord every day. I want to be able to walk through my darkest days with joy in my heart because I know that the light of the Lord's presence is still shining on me. I want thankfulness to rule in my heart.

What a perfect thing to take away from a lovely holiday weekend. A true feeling of thankfulness and heart that feels full!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. -Psalm 100:4-5

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and it's not just because of all the yummy food. I love seeing and spending time with family. There's something magical about Thanksgiving that makes spending time with family extra special. I love sitting around the table after eating a ginormous, delicious meal and catching up on life. I love taking walks as a group as we talk and toss around the football to each other. I love pulling out a deck of cards and playing endless card games. I love all those things and they're some of the many things I'm thankful for this year.

I am thankful for:

a loving husband.
a Savior that died for my sins so that I may have life.
good health.
two jobs that I love.
a place to live in a lovely and convenient location.
working cars that get us from point A to point B.
family and friends.
our playful kitty Darla.
my education.
my ability to laugh and enjoy life.
being an American.
the different seasons.
music.
my ability to create and craft.
memories.
today.

I hope you all enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving and what you are thankful for! May the Lord bless you with full hearts and full bellies!

P.S. Here's a little "Happy Thanksgiving" from Leo (the young boy I nanny.)

A Look Into Our Fall

God has really been stretching me and my husband lately. All of the plans we had for ourselves for the fall, were not the plans the Lord had for us. We had a really busy summer with our apartment management job, and we both feel that the season of being an apartment manager is coming to a close. The Lord has made it clear though that we are not finished there, so we will patiently wait on Him.

Andrew spent the summer washing and staining decks for his uncle's company, Deck Works, and doing maintenance in our apartment building. He spent the evenings after a long days work in the sun and heat, applying to schools around the city and suburbs to be a teacher for any open position in the fall. I spent the summer nannying little Leo and up-keeping our apartment building and doing apartment management duties. We both spent the summer waiting for Andrew to get a job so we could look at apartments to rent in whatever area he got placed. I waited to find another job for the fall (aside from watching Leo two days a week) in whatever area we moved to… We are still waiting.

The Lord clearly has a different plan for us this fall. Andrew is still applying like mad to schools that have last minute openings or long term sub positions. He is also set to be a sub in 6 or 8 different districts around the cities and suburbs. I am continuing to watch Leo two days a week and work the other days at Salon Centric in Richfield. We are both still managing the apartment too. Thankfully that has died down quite a bit for the fall. We currently have no openings and there hasn't been a huge need for maintenance (thank you Jesus).

We are just waiting on the Lord in this season of our lives, and will continue to wait on Him for whatever he has planned for us in the future. Part of me feels unsettled and part of me wants to skip ahead to the day where we (Lord willing) have a house, job security, and maybe a baby on the way. But, another part of me feels contentment and such peace in this season, and I know that is coming from the Lord. I don't feel the financial stress like I know I usually would with Andrew's job uncertainty, and life as it is now is sort of an adventure. We never know what's going to happen next and that's very exciting in a way.

I just pray that the Lord continues to give us patience during this season. We have a lot to be thankful for:

each other

two functional cars

a place to live rent free

food in our cupboards

supportive family and friends

clothes in our closet

new grace and mercies every day

a faithful God

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

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