Thankful

Recently, God revived something that I used to do with others.

When I was a volunteer life coach/peer counselor at A Woman's Place, I gradually developed the habit of asking every girl I met three things for which they were thankful.

This exercise was really not my idea, but God's. It might sound simple, but it was not the easiest thing to do. Every girl I met was going through difficult situations - financial, educational, family, physical......When they came in, they were sad, stressed, upset, worried, angry or confused, or sometimes all of the above. But one day, God wanted me to ask the girls to name three things for which they were thankful. While they had to think about it for a few seconds the first time I asked them, they were always able to count their blessings. Without fail. Despite their circumstances.

Now, instead of asking someone, God wanted me to ask myself the question. I started counting God's blessings on my way to work one morning, but instead of three things, it grew to five! Then I started counting five things on my way home as well. It has been a great exercise in giving thanks to the Lord.

I am thankful for who He is, and for His providence.

I am also thankful for the many things I take for granted - running water, heat during cold nights, air conditionally during hot days, a functioning car, a roof over my head, food on the table......

And I am thankful for my family. As a bonus, I get to see my mom and a few relatives tomorrow because they will be in town to visit!

Dead and Risen!

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:7-8

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "

Luke 24: 1-7

Shoes

A few weeks ago, I was at Target to get a baby gift for a couple of friends. One of the items was a pair of crocs. While there, I also found a pair of flip flops for Hubby, something I had been searching for a while.

Juxtaposing these two pairs of shoes struck a chord in me about life. Here we had an adult in his prime (and he is a size 12!) and a baby who would soon be coming to this world. Age difference aside, these were two precious lives that God created (and was creating) in his own image. In these shoes, they would be taking their steps and going to different places.

We are all travelers in this world, heading closer to our eternal home each day. There are ups and downs in our journeys; some days we are on mountaintops, and some days we go through valleys. But one constant is this: that God is caring for and guiding us along the Way, whether we notice Him or not.