Thankful Thursday (ed. 2.8)
I've truly failed at blogging and more importantly failed miserably at keeping up with my Thankful Thursdays, as now two weeks have passed without this gloriously favorite blog of mine. But it really is ok, I don't want to sit in the failure, I think a far better option is to just jump on ahead and let the gratitude pour forth this night.
So, without further ado, here's my 8th edition of Gratitude Chronicles, part II.
________________________________________
Today, I'm Thankful For...
...grace...
I read a quote from Jeremy, our associate pastor this morning that said "the beauty of grace is that it makes life unfair." Sit on that for a moment. The cross - the grace of salvation - grace of any kind - makes life unfair. We deserve no life, no hope, no joy - but in grace God gifts all of that and far more, He gives us the gift of Himself. I'm stunned at this.
...tears...
This week, TWLOHA quoted this: "Only eyes washed by tears can see clearly" (I cannot recall the source). I cried this week. A. Lot. My heart broke over various reasons and with different sources, and how I needed a shoulder to cry on. There wasn't really one available, so my pillow became my companion for a couple of days. But, in the aftermath, I'm thankful for the tears because in a sense, I saw some things far more clearly than I have before. The pain of it all is still keen and striking, but at least vision comes with it.
...a job...
I don't hate my job. I dislike the fact that between that and work, my life is slipping away and I have no energy or time anymore for anything really at all. My family barely sees me, my friends don't hear from me, and I'm basically turning into a hermit. While I like my alone time just fine and need it to recuperate from too much social interaction; too much isolation kills my spirit. And what God had revived is being sapped away by hours with my nose in books, writing papers, or staring at clothing and inspecting it. IN spite of all of that, I am thankful that I have a job. In this economy, it is a blessing to have work and a paycheck. So I rest that God is going to provide other avenues and maybe some supernatural extensions of the hours in the day or sleep or something to make up for how he's slowly killing me.
...a God that is faithful and able....
This week, I was once again reminded that God is a strong rescuer. Oscar was able to rescue two little girls that we've been praying for the safe rescue of since we stepped foot on Managuan soil in June. Maybe this was my reminder that God is able to do precisely what he says. I struggle with that sometimes. This week has been a particularly hard battle in believing. Discouraged & disheartened express where my heart was through most of this week. But again and again, I ran to Him, tearful, weepy, and when no one else was there for me -- when I was shoved aside for other people and things -- God sat with me in the darkness that swallowed my heart. Faithful. No words, really. No tangible encouragement per se, but just with me. I didn't feel Him, no. I didn't have experience with Him. But I sat on the hilltop looking over Lynchburg on Monday night knowing that God was hearing me. Tuesday night, I came home to a clear and cold night at home, stars above me...and I knew the God who created all of that, was - in that still moment alone on the stairs out back - with me. No magic goose pimples. Just a quiet surrender in my spirit that He exists, He knows my pain, and I'm not going to be left here forever. Heedless of experiential, no emotional high, just a "yes, God." moment again and again. I'm thankful He's faithful and He is able to do above what I can ask or think. Because right now, I can't think very much of what could or could not happen.
..."Cuddle Time!"...
The other day, Micah stayed over at our house. When I came back from showering an doing some school work, he was on the couch, saw me coming, and waved his hand at me and said "come here, CUDDLE TIME!" and patted the seat on the couch next to him. What that meant was, he wanted me to sit next to him so he could lay his head on my lap and relax. Well of course, I ditched whatever other important things were going on to snatch up some Micah cuddle time. That's a rare privilege. And let me tell you, Aunt Mandi needed to know somebody wanted her this week. Even if he is six, at least one boy in the world thinks I'm pretty awesome. At any rate, I was thankful for that, because little man just snuggled up under my arms and I sat and read while he watched Star Wars. Not a bad start to the day, i'd say. Thankful for those moments.
...Autumn...
I like this season. It's my favorite. For 28 years, I didn't really get a "fall-harvest" season. Personally, I prefer the word "autumn" - it has a far more poetic air to it than "fall" - either way, it's my favorite season. The colors on the leaves this month have been stunning. And driving down winding roads, with gold, reds and oranges shedding an orange hued light on your path while the wind blows the leaves down on you like falling rain - well, there's not anything quite like that. It's a breath-taking, quiet moment to appreciate the beauty of where I live. Driving into my neighborhood and seeing the glorious Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance bursting in brilliant autumnal array stuns me every day. I'm so thankful for this season and how gloriously beautiful it is here where I live.
...homemade soup...
it's been unseasonably cold in the last week or so here and in celebration, my mama made homemade Caldo (a mexican soup) one day and chicken noodle soup another day. So yummy. There's something about home-made foods that make them so much better than restaurants and maybe it's the fact that I can get more soon. All in all, I'm thankful for these tasty treats. :)
...Musical Worship....
There's a lot of things that I've shared today. My heart has been tossed around a bit, beaten down, broken to bits in different ways and generally just wearied this week. I needed strong anchors around me - and got none. I needed hands to hold me up and got nothing. I needed Jesus with skin on and I got nothing. What I did have, however, was a plethora of worship songs. "God is Able", "Give me Faith", and the song that kicked off my Sunday service "Unending Love" by Hillsong Live. Wow. Those three songs have been on repeat constantly. Musical worship is a pathway to connecting fiercely with God. ANd these songs, they helped this week, so I'm thankful for them. I'm thankful for the people who were inspired to write them, the talented voices and musicians who recorded them, and the faithful leaders who prayerfully selected them for BRCC's worship services over the last few weeks. God is good. He knows my heart and knows how to meet me in music. I'm thankful for that.
...6 weeks....
Six. Weeks. and the semester is over. I need it to be over. I need a moment to breathe. I'm thankful for holiday breaks in school. and I'm thankful that mine is coming just ahead. That is something to be thankful for and look forward to.
...laughter...
even in a bad week, I can laugh. It's not been the worst week I've ever experienced....I'm not sure I'll encounter something that rivals that for awhile...or at least, I'm praying not. I can't add more of that to this year. But even in that, I found things to laugh at -- whether it was silly jokes with my classmates, a hysterical moment when my mom cussed because someone her her little girl this week, or just laughing at a funny moment in a favorite TV show. All in all, I love laughter and I'm thankful when I get to. :) So yay for that.
...pajamas...
I love pajamas. LOVE them. Need more of them actually. Well, probably not,really. But I do love pajamas. I think it's because really, though I like going out and dressing up and being cute and all that, I really do just love being home and comfy with people I care about. So I'm thankful for comfy nights, cozy pjs and happy memories of that.
...His Love for Me....
Encompassed in the following song. I love it. Thankful for it.
That's all for now....there is so much I am tremendously thankful for this week, I cannot begin to articulate it...but as the rain starts to fall outside of my window and I listen to this song, I just rest in my gratitude and know that God loves me, and desires me. Oh what glorious truth. I love that. My heart is safe in His hands.
So, without further ado, here's my 8th edition of Gratitude Chronicles, part II.
________________________________________
Today, I'm Thankful For...
...grace...
I read a quote from Jeremy, our associate pastor this morning that said "the beauty of grace is that it makes life unfair." Sit on that for a moment. The cross - the grace of salvation - grace of any kind - makes life unfair. We deserve no life, no hope, no joy - but in grace God gifts all of that and far more, He gives us the gift of Himself. I'm stunned at this.
...tears...
This week, TWLOHA quoted this: "Only eyes washed by tears can see clearly" (I cannot recall the source). I cried this week. A. Lot. My heart broke over various reasons and with different sources, and how I needed a shoulder to cry on. There wasn't really one available, so my pillow became my companion for a couple of days. But, in the aftermath, I'm thankful for the tears because in a sense, I saw some things far more clearly than I have before. The pain of it all is still keen and striking, but at least vision comes with it.
...a job...
I don't hate my job. I dislike the fact that between that and work, my life is slipping away and I have no energy or time anymore for anything really at all. My family barely sees me, my friends don't hear from me, and I'm basically turning into a hermit. While I like my alone time just fine and need it to recuperate from too much social interaction; too much isolation kills my spirit. And what God had revived is being sapped away by hours with my nose in books, writing papers, or staring at clothing and inspecting it. IN spite of all of that, I am thankful that I have a job. In this economy, it is a blessing to have work and a paycheck. So I rest that God is going to provide other avenues and maybe some supernatural extensions of the hours in the day or sleep or something to make up for how he's slowly killing me.
...a God that is faithful and able....
This week, I was once again reminded that God is a strong rescuer. Oscar was able to rescue two little girls that we've been praying for the safe rescue of since we stepped foot on Managuan soil in June. Maybe this was my reminder that God is able to do precisely what he says. I struggle with that sometimes. This week has been a particularly hard battle in believing. Discouraged & disheartened express where my heart was through most of this week. But again and again, I ran to Him, tearful, weepy, and when no one else was there for me -- when I was shoved aside for other people and things -- God sat with me in the darkness that swallowed my heart. Faithful. No words, really. No tangible encouragement per se, but just with me. I didn't feel Him, no. I didn't have experience with Him. But I sat on the hilltop looking over Lynchburg on Monday night knowing that God was hearing me. Tuesday night, I came home to a clear and cold night at home, stars above me...and I knew the God who created all of that, was - in that still moment alone on the stairs out back - with me. No magic goose pimples. Just a quiet surrender in my spirit that He exists, He knows my pain, and I'm not going to be left here forever. Heedless of experiential, no emotional high, just a "yes, God." moment again and again. I'm thankful He's faithful and He is able to do above what I can ask or think. Because right now, I can't think very much of what could or could not happen.
..."Cuddle Time!"...
The other day, Micah stayed over at our house. When I came back from showering an doing some school work, he was on the couch, saw me coming, and waved his hand at me and said "come here, CUDDLE TIME!" and patted the seat on the couch next to him. What that meant was, he wanted me to sit next to him so he could lay his head on my lap and relax. Well of course, I ditched whatever other important things were going on to snatch up some Micah cuddle time. That's a rare privilege. And let me tell you, Aunt Mandi needed to know somebody wanted her this week. Even if he is six, at least one boy in the world thinks I'm pretty awesome. At any rate, I was thankful for that, because little man just snuggled up under my arms and I sat and read while he watched Star Wars. Not a bad start to the day, i'd say. Thankful for those moments.
...Autumn...
I like this season. It's my favorite. For 28 years, I didn't really get a "fall-harvest" season. Personally, I prefer the word "autumn" - it has a far more poetic air to it than "fall" - either way, it's my favorite season. The colors on the leaves this month have been stunning. And driving down winding roads, with gold, reds and oranges shedding an orange hued light on your path while the wind blows the leaves down on you like falling rain - well, there's not anything quite like that. It's a breath-taking, quiet moment to appreciate the beauty of where I live. Driving into my neighborhood and seeing the glorious Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance bursting in brilliant autumnal array stuns me every day. I'm so thankful for this season and how gloriously beautiful it is here where I live.
...homemade soup...
it's been unseasonably cold in the last week or so here and in celebration, my mama made homemade Caldo (a mexican soup) one day and chicken noodle soup another day. So yummy. There's something about home-made foods that make them so much better than restaurants and maybe it's the fact that I can get more soon. All in all, I'm thankful for these tasty treats. :)
...Musical Worship....
There's a lot of things that I've shared today. My heart has been tossed around a bit, beaten down, broken to bits in different ways and generally just wearied this week. I needed strong anchors around me - and got none. I needed hands to hold me up and got nothing. I needed Jesus with skin on and I got nothing. What I did have, however, was a plethora of worship songs. "God is Able", "Give me Faith", and the song that kicked off my Sunday service "Unending Love" by Hillsong Live. Wow. Those three songs have been on repeat constantly. Musical worship is a pathway to connecting fiercely with God. ANd these songs, they helped this week, so I'm thankful for them. I'm thankful for the people who were inspired to write them, the talented voices and musicians who recorded them, and the faithful leaders who prayerfully selected them for BRCC's worship services over the last few weeks. God is good. He knows my heart and knows how to meet me in music. I'm thankful for that.
...6 weeks....
Six. Weeks. and the semester is over. I need it to be over. I need a moment to breathe. I'm thankful for holiday breaks in school. and I'm thankful that mine is coming just ahead. That is something to be thankful for and look forward to.
...laughter...
even in a bad week, I can laugh. It's not been the worst week I've ever experienced....I'm not sure I'll encounter something that rivals that for awhile...or at least, I'm praying not. I can't add more of that to this year. But even in that, I found things to laugh at -- whether it was silly jokes with my classmates, a hysterical moment when my mom cussed because someone her her little girl this week, or just laughing at a funny moment in a favorite TV show. All in all, I love laughter and I'm thankful when I get to. :) So yay for that.
...pajamas...
I love pajamas. LOVE them. Need more of them actually. Well, probably not,really. But I do love pajamas. I think it's because really, though I like going out and dressing up and being cute and all that, I really do just love being home and comfy with people I care about. So I'm thankful for comfy nights, cozy pjs and happy memories of that.
...His Love for Me....
Encompassed in the following song. I love it. Thankful for it.
That's all for now....there is so much I am tremendously thankful for this week, I cannot begin to articulate it...but as the rain starts to fall outside of my window and I listen to this song, I just rest in my gratitude and know that God loves me, and desires me. Oh what glorious truth. I love that. My heart is safe in His hands.
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