Birthday Surprise! It's Monica part 1

Today's post comes from the lovely Monica. I've had the privilege of being Monica's youth leader and now friend. With great joy I asked her to share her heart and pour out what God has done in her life the past few months. I am confident that you will be blessed by her. Tune in Friday for part 2.

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Happy Birthday Blog!

I was so honored when Raquel asked me to post on the blog for its fourth birthday.

As some of you may know this past year the Lord had me go through a program called Ignite with Potter’s Field Ministries. It’s a program designed to have students give a year of their lives completely to the Lord. I spent three months in Montana, training to be sent out along with 2 other girls to the beautiful country of Guatemala.

   I spent 6 months in Guatemala, doing afterschool work with the kids in the local community, tutoring, bible lessons, skits, puppet shows, you name it! During the last three months the training portion of the Ignite school was moved down to Guatemala and my team and I were able to come alongside the then training interns ( who are now on the field) and help encourage them during their time there.

   The Lord has used the past 10  months of my life to reveal Himself to me in such a powerful way. For so long I bought into the lie that I was unlovable, that there was something defective in me that unqualified me to be loved, even by God. While I learned multiple lessons this year, none has gone deeper that the realization I had during my 3^rd month on the field.

    God loves me. As silly and basic as that might sound , after all it’s a phrase that any three year old in Sunday school can utter, it was a truth that had not sunk in very deep in my life. For so many years I thought God loved me, but it was only because I could fit under the classification of “human” which automatically made me eligible to receive His Love, but He would never really hand pick me to love, there are so many better people out there to pour out love and favor on, so many that are worth loving He definitely wouldn’t chose me if He had the choice. 

   This sadly is the lie that I had allowed to embed itself in the depths of my heart, and it was so successfully embedded that I believed it to be true, and was completely blind to the fact that I believed it about myself and my relationship with the Lord.

   During my time on the field, I literally had nothing else to cling to but Him, no familiar background, no home church, no people that I had known forever, my robotic and semi-automatic “christianese” responses wouldn’t cut in on the field. I was forced to get raw and get real with God and allow Him to strip away all the routines that I had allowed myself to hide behind, and come face to face with the ugly truth ( that was really a lie) that had been shaping my view of God and His Love for me all this time.

    I learned what it is to be Loved by the Lord, but better yet what it is to accept His love. What it is to bask in the Steadfast Love that the Lord has for me, and in that I found a confidence in being His Daughter that I was convinced I’d never be able to have.

   I’m still learning just what it is to walk in the freedom His Love brings, His individual love for the person, not for humanity in general but I’m taking it one step at a time.

   Being back home now after such a tremendous experience is a bit disorientating, but I have the Love of my Heavenly Father to ground me. I am beyond thankful for the journey He’s guided me through and the one that’s yet to come.

   Thank you to all who have been praying for me during my trip, your prayers where definitely heard and felt. May you too bask in the Steadfast Love of the Father. 

Monica in Montana with the Ignite program

Monica's view in Montana (jealous)

Monica in Guatemala

Lyrical Friday - How Great Is The Love

Happy Friday Lovelies!

Today's post will be a combo of a devo I just read that ties so well with today's lyrics. 

Devo by Jack Hayford from Praise in the Presence of God // YouVersion Reading Plan

Lyrics by Meredith Andrews // Vertical Church Band

Boaz, a marvelous Old Testament picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, reveals his love for Ruth, an equally beautiful picture of the Church, that is, of you and me. As they are about to become engaged, Boaz expresses his commitment to Ruth by asking her to spread out her shawl (see Ruth 3:15–18). Into its folds he pours out six ephahs of grain—a total of about seventy pounds of barley!

Now catch the picture. Can you see our Lord Jesus saying the same thing to us, His bride?

“I don’t want you to go through life empty-handed. I want you to know My abounding provision for all matters of your life.” Jesus is saying, “I will fill the biggest pocket you’ve got! I’ll fill it with love and everything else you need as well.” That’s His promise!

Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving-kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9 

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

Thank You for the way that You love us
How You love us
Thank You for the way You have made us

We were created
For Your pleasure, for Your presence
For the glory of Your name

Thank You for the way that You love us

Jesus, faithful King
Lord, with grateful hearts we sing
How great is the love
How great is the love
Of our Savior
The weight of the cross, the curse of our shame
You carried it all and rose from the grave
How great is the love, how great is the love
Of our Savior

Thank You for Your grace that has saved us
You forgave us
Thank You for the way You have freed us

We have been ransomed
We've been rescued, we've been purchased
With the price of Your own life

Thank You for the way that You love us

Jesus, faithful King
Lord, with grateful hearts we sing
How great is the love
How great is the love
Of our Savior
The weight of the cross, the curse of our shame
You carried it all and rose from the grave
How great is the love, how great is the love
Of our Savior

Thank You for the way that You love us
How You love us

Birthday Surprise. It's Stephanie!

My favorite holiday is here and with it a very special post by one of my favorite people. For those who don't know Stephanie, she is vibrant, enthusiastic and encouraging. And to those who know her, we can all say we are better people because she is in our lives. May this special Thanksgiving post speak comfort and joy to your heart. 
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To be completely honest, I wanted to decline Raquel’s offer when she first asked me to be a guest blogger. Why? I let fear paralyze me at that moment and I had no idea what to write about, BUT I heard a firm response from God, “Yes, you WILL write and you WILL share what you have learned!” I immediately knew exactly what He was talking about. So here it goes…

Back in February, I attended an amazing conference. Prior to this conference, I was ecstatic to volunteer and serve at the conference, but God gave me a clear “No!” I was crushed and confused because my heart’s desire is to serve others, but I knew that God wanted me to be still, sit back, and hear from Him. It would be me and Him, nothing else!

Throughout the conference God was moving in my heart. The night Hillsong United led worship, God revealed something to me. You see, God exposed  the ugliness of my heart to me and unfolded a deeper layer that I had no idea was lying inside of my heart. I knew then this was one of the reasons God wanted me to sit out, and not volunteer at the conference. I suddenly broke out in tears and felt my knees suddenly collapse.  I felt ashamed and embarrassed. God revealed to me that I was angry. Angry with Him! “What?!? How could this be? I’m so head over heels in love with Him! How could I have been angry and in love with Him all at the same time?

Rewind …

Way before attending this conference, I had been trying to pass one of the tests to become a teacher. It had taken me a little well over a year to pass it. While many eagerly waited to start the New Year, I was taking into the New Year a heavy burden of frustration. Throughout that time of test after test, I felt like I done everything humanly possible to pass. I bought books, hired tutors, listened to cds, attended workshops, and more. My next train of thought was, “My failing MUST be because I’m not spiritual enough?” (At this point, I had no idea where my head was at.) I then proceeded into trying to do all the “Christian stuff” so that I can hopefully gain God’s favor and mercy to pass the test. (Side note: This is so far from God’s truth…We do NOT have to gain His love, it’s unconditional nor do we have to work to receive His favor/mercy/grace) I fasted. I prayed. I went to church. I sought Biblical counsel. I read my Bible. I had done anything and everything. I knew for sure God was going to hook it up and open the door for me to pass. Yeah, NO! The next time I went to take it, I read in big fat letters, “Not pass!” “What? God, how could this be? You MUST be mad at me!”

Fast-forward to the conference …

“Angry? Why would I be angry with God?” It then dawned on me that I was angry because the thought of God forsaking me, and not giving me the desires of my own selfish heart, had been lingering inside of me. I had been feeling let down by God. I felt like my prayers were hitting the roof and not heaven. Why wouldn’t God turn to me and allow for me to pass the test? “C’mon God, You created everything in 6 days... Can’t you just make it happen and allow this miracle to take place?!” I would have never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would reach the point of being angry with my God.

After I left the conference, I confessed to my boyfriend all that I had been hidden in my heart. We prayed, and I instantly felt God’s love and healing hand over my heart and life. God’s faithfulness revealed to me yet once again. “CONFESS your sins to each other and pray for one another so that you may be HEALED.” James 5:16.

Thanksgiving is here! What am I thankful for? Well, I’m thankful for God’s strength. He gave me strength to push forward even when I thought I could not take one more step or one more test. I took that test 7 times! If it was not for Him, I would have easily given up probably after the 3^rd time of not passing it. I was stubborn (hence me having to take it 7 times) and God wanted me to gain radical faith in trusting Him with my life even when things don’t “fall in place.” I’m thankful that though this sin had been residing in my heart, God’s love did not change.

I learned many things during that season of my life. I can honestly say that though storms may come, and they will come, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. I encourage you to dig deep and pray even when it seems as if you can not mutter out a single word to God. Prayer not only changes things, but it changes YOU!

“BE THANKFUL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, 

for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need and THANK HIM for all he has done.” –Philippians 4:6

“When everything seems like it’s falling apart, 

that’s when God is putting things back together just the way He wants it.” 

One last thing, though God did not answer my prayer on my timeline to pass the test, He did do something far more imaginable. He gave me the gift of faith! Faith to truly trust God with my life, with my future, even when all else fails.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Birthday Surprise. It's Denise!

Hello there. Today's guest blogger is none other than my cousin Denise. She's no stranger to the Birthday Surprise tradition, and you can read her post "Trials and Adoration" here. Denise is one of the few people that I can trust and say is a woman of her word. May her story inspire and encourage you to choose contentment over bitterness.
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Bitterness and Contentment

It was 3:30 am again. I had to be up for work in a couple of hours and my head was throbbing, I was wide awake and I was losing all hope of falling asleep again. Laying there, staring into the darkness of my bedroom, thoughts began to swim through my head, and then, the tears came, burning my tired eyes. This was starting to become a daily thing. I couldn't stand it anymore. My life had been turned upside down and it felt like it had all happened overnight. Was this really happening? Was I still dreaming? Please God, let me fall back to sleep so I can wake up and this nightmare can be over.

Except it wasn't a nightmare, it was very real. I had lost my mother, and my father was marrying a much younger woman, even younger than I. Too many things were happening around me that I could not control. And every time I thought one trial had finished, another one immediately took its place. Everything was spinning out of control and I couldn't make it stop. The truth was, I couldn't stop it, not any of it. This was my new life and I was going to have to live with it, or stay miserable, stressed out, broken and wounded. The good news is that there was a way out and I knew it. I realized that the one who saved me, the one who had been there for me through everything, was still there. My God, who loved me dearly, was waiting with His arms wide open. He would be my comfort, my strength, my sanity.

Everything happened so fast, I should have been grieving but instead I was dealing with things beyond my control. There were times when my emotions took hold of me and I could barely breathe. I realized that if I let my emotions continue to control me, I wouldn't be able to breathe again.

More than any other emotions, what took over me the most was bitterness and anger. I think what shocked me was how quickly it all had happened. I didn't understand why or how it was happening, I just wanted someone to make it stop. However, deep down, I knew that all of this would be used for God’s glory. 

I felt like I couldn't trust anyone else on this earth. My real father was my God. He loved me more than anything. Isaiah 43:1-4, became my passage during this time.

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” ~Isaiah 43:1-4

I have a God who loves me and I couldn’t be more content in that thought. He loves me dearly. He can get me through anything. He was more real to me than He ever had been. He did not want me to be bitter and resentful. By holding onto my emotions and feeling bitter towards those around me, I was only hurting myself. No one else was losing sleep over this except me. But most of all it was hurting my testimony. How could I show the love of Christ and be an example to others if all they saw in me was sadness and anger. This is not the way God wants me to feel. It wasn’t easy but by staying in the word of God and keeping an open relationship with Him, everything became better. He spoke to me and comforted me tremendously. I was His daughter, His princess.  I was able to sleep at night and my bitterness slowly melted away. I was able to face things I never thought I would be able to face before and I was able to come home at night and actually enjoy being there. My situation did not change but my attitude toward it did.

We need to be content in all our circumstances. They are there to mold us and make us stronger. I heard a pastor use this analogy this week, he mentioned that when he was a child, his mother would bake and she would have all the ingredients laid out on the counter. He proceeded to try each one, the sugar, the oil, the flour, etc. He said he remembers trying each ingredient one by one. Individually, they tasted horrible, they were not appetizing at all. But when his mother put the ingredients together and baked them, they were delicious. When we look at each of our circumstances individually, they seem horrible, they are not good, but when you look at your life as a whole, these are the things that have made you who you are today, they have made something good.

In the end, I learned that I need to praise God no matter what, whether I am up or down. He loves me and knows what is best for me, even if I don’t understand it. He suffered for me, more than anything I will ever go through on this earth. If there is a situation that you are in that you feel you can’t control, surrender it to God, let Him handle it. If there is a person that you need to forgive, pray for them. You will be surprised at how much your attitude and heart changes toward a person when you are asking for God to work in them. Most of all, never stop worshiping Jesus. He loves you.

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” ~ Colossians 3:12-15

a life of gratitude

gratitude:  a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, as for gifts or favors 

synonyms: thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness

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Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. psalm 50:14
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Over ten years ago I sat in a church service that changed me forever. I don't remember the topic or the passage of scripture being read. The only thing I remember is this: "Gratitude is not a feeling, it is an act. We must chose to be grateful, by choosing to give thanks." When the Psalmist said, "make thankfulness your sacrifice" He was right on. It is work.
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How are we to do the work of thankfulness? The Pastor continued sharing practical ways of living a life of gratitude: "Give thanks to God for everything! When you wake up, thank God for being alive. When you shower, thank God for the water and soap. As you have breakfast, thank God for the coffee (Lord knows I do this one daily!). As you drive, thank God for your transportation. Thank God for the tree you pass every day. Thank God for..." You get the drift, give thanks to God for everything. If God is the giver of all things, and I am His follower, a life of gratitude is a logical act of worship.
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I took this nugget of wisdom with me and put it to practice the very next day. As I drove to work, I thanked God everything! From the very breath I had just taken, to the trees down the street. The more consistent I was in this new way of life, the more things I found to be thankful for. Oh my Word! This was easier than I thought. I was on a roll, till I was rolled over by a great and fiery trial. What was I to do? The words of Pastor Mandy came back to mind, gratitude is an act, not a feeling. I definitely didn't feel like dancing with shouts of thankfulness, but I made a choice to give thanks. I learned that day what an "offering of thanksgiving" meant. It wasn't easy at first, but it did become easier. Before I knew it, my heart and mind had found peace in the midst of a pressing situation.
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I challenge you today. As gratitude is an action, choose today to be thankful for everything. Begin by thanking God for being who He is, name His names and attributes. Thank Him for the small things you see in your surrounding. Trust me, nothing is too small or insignificant. As you walk, sit, or drive from one destination to another, thank God for the things and people you see. And when you can't fall asleep at night, and are "too tired" to pray, just lay there and thank God for whatever comes to mind. Take it a step further, keep a daily journal where you jot down things you are thankful for that day. When trying times come over you, go back and read all the many things you are thankful for. You will discover that through gratitude, you already have enough to fight the battle.
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God bless you dear friend!
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Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalm 95:2
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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4
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Be thankful in all circumstances, 
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6
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Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15
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Let your roots grow down into Christ, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. Colossians 3:16
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 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Ephesians 5:3-5
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Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28

finding a pot of gold

 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. 1 Thessalonians 1:2

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, 

and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy2:1

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God,

 the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:3

As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. 
We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—
a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Prayer defined: a spiritual communion with God, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession. My prayer life goes a little like this: First Place goes to supplication, runner up and Second Place is awarded to confession, Third Place (sad but true) is adoration and lastly but in the run Fourth Place to thanksgiving. It's so easy for me to cry out to God and spend my time with Him reviewing my long list of supplications and even interceding on behalf of the needs of others. If your anything like me there is an equally long list of confessions. And as for adoration, what kind of a Christian would I be if I did not praise and adore my God? Even adoration can easily become a routine or a scripted praise. Thanksgiving, oh that doesn't come naturally... it isn't learned, it is worked. Thanksgiving is described as an act, an expression, an acknowledgment. 

Reading the scriptures above felt like finding a hidden pot of gold. Though I have read these verses in the past, I had overlooked an important and essential part of communion with God: Thanking Him for my brothers and sisters when I pray for them by name. When I pray with people, I do give thanks to God for their life, I praise Him for their life but it usually comes to a halt there. When we pray, we should give thanks to God, not just for His goodness and faithfulness (among all His benefits and awesomeness) but for our family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, fellow brothers and sisters of the faith, as well as for the lost, unborn babies that are being formed in our friend's wombs- all by name. If God created each one, loves each individual, and has beautiful plans for each one, who are we to not pray for, and thank God for the people He has placed at our hand's reach? Imagine all the good works of thanksgiving being offered to God if we all gave thanks to Him for the those He surrounds us with. I challenge you, as I challenge myself, when we pray for people let's give thanks to God for them. 

PS. I give thanks to God for You my readers.

A thankful life is a prayerful life. 

A life void of prayer is an unthankful life. -Allan McNabb

birthday surprise! It's Andrea.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
This is my favorite holiday and because it is, my favorite person in the whole wide world is going to share with you. She is my best friend, my sister from another mother, my prayer warrior, and my gift from God. We have been watching each other since 1998 (inside joke, sorry). Andrea is funny, sweet, gentle, caring and all together lovely. What makes her so special though is her contagious love for Jesus and the Word. From the heart of God to one of the godliest women I know to you and now to you!
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Commit to Being Thankful

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Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

It was November 1^st and I had just finished putting up my new calendar in my classroom.  I placed a picture of a turkey on Thanksgiving and Danny, my charming and lively student who had been watching me through the process exclaimed “It’s turkey day!” joyfully while flapping his arms and jumping up and down. I quickly explained to him “Danny, it’s Thanksgiving!  Yes, we have turkey on that day, but most importantly, we give thanks for all the good things we have.”  He stared at me for a few seconds and said, “like dinosaurs, daddy, and cheeseburgers?” I laughed amused at what he was thankful for and replied “yes Danny, like dinosaurs, daddy, and cheeseburgers.” 

 It was a simple conversation, yet, it was one that I needed more than him.  With so much to do and such little time, I am often one of those who has to-do lists a mile long and is less than patient and more like frazzled during the holiday season, but for that moment God used someone like Danny, a six year old, to make me stop and evaluate the condition of my heart and how I was going to enter this season. And this time around, I refuse to have nothing less but a thankful heart, one that extends past Thanksgiving and becomes the way I approach each day of my life.

You may be asking yourself, “so why should we enter this season with a thankful heart? And why is being thankful so important?” or perhaps, you may be thinking, “It’s been a horrible year, I don’t have anything to be thankful for.” I am here to tell you, that you cannot afford to have anything else but a heart of gratitude, whatever your circumstance may be. 

While in a prison cell in Rome, Paul found himself in less than joyous conditions waiting on Cesar’s decree over his life, and he decided to write a letter to the church of Philippi.  He told the church in chapter 4 of Philippians to rejoice, to pray with thanksgiving, to focus on what was true and noble, and also reminded them that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.  Paul was going through hardship and had every reason to choose to be depressed, lonely, and discouraged, yet his attitude only reflected thankfulness, strength, and peace.

So why should we have a thankful heart? Because it is God’s will for your life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Paul didn’t back down from this and he chose to focus his sight on God and not his troubles, and what took place in Paul’s heart was an outpouring of joy. Like Paul, you may find yourself in a prison today, not a literal prison but perhaps one built by bars of emotions, troubles, and fears. You want to break free, and the only way to is to begin to be grateful. Kay Smith explained once in a teaching that we cannot be depressed or bitter at the same time that we are being thankful, so get on the road and start counting your blessings.

You may be reading this and may be thinking, “I cannot think of one thing to be thankful for.  I have lost everything and I don’t feel I have a reason to rejoice. No one loves me and no one cares” and to that I say, that although I cannot understand your individual pain, I know what it is like to endure pain and experience loss.  My great season of depression and pain came when my parents divorced when I was 15, and for a year I committed to utter despair.  My mother, upon seeing my sadness, refused to let me drown in my state of misery. What did she remind me of during that time? Jesus, simply Jesus. I clung to Him and gave thanks to the Lord for the Lord, because He alone could give me the love and hope that I yearned for.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light, so cast your cares upon Him and give thanks for the gift of life.  It was during this time that I experienced a sweet dependence on God, one that would fire my relationship with him for the coming years. If you can’t find one thing to be thankful for, start with rejoicing in Him, because He alone can provide what we need.

It is said that while in that prison in Rome, God used Paul to spread the gospel within Cesar’s palace and to encourage the church in a way that would not have been possible if he had not been incarcerated. The way he accomplished this was not through complaining, doubting, or ingratitude towards God for allowing him to remain there. I cannot imagine what would have happened to Paul if he had begun to only notice all that was wrong with his situation.  In a prison, it is likely he would have only entered severe depression and been riddled with doubt. Instead, he committed to rejoicing, giving thanks, and focusing on God, the giver of life and every good gift, and in turn, Paul was filled with peace and was able to encourage others.

Where is your commitment to thankfulness in your life? Do you wake up each day with your focus on God and what is praiseworthy? Do you yearn for daily strength and peace in every situation? May our hearts say like Paul’s “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!” in every season of our lives.