'Tis the season to count your blessings!

Friday December 6: Today I'm thankful for... snow! Ok, I think I might have mentioned I'm not a fan of winter. And if this type of weather continues I'm sure you will hear it over and over. Finding something new to be thankful for every day can become challenging. On days where you are stuck at home this can provide to be even more challenging. I've already thanked God for the people here and the house to keep me warm... So I'll thank God for the snow. The beauty of the snow is a great reminder of just how awesome our God is, how powerful He is. In a matter of hours he shut down a large portion of the United States with snow and ice. At a time when we all at least think, we should be out hustling and bustling He confined us to our homes. This snow storm started on the west coast and is headed to the east coast, affecting thousands, probably millions of people. Giving us no choice but to slow down. And for me, giving me more time to reflect on the importance of this holiday season. The reason we are celebrating. Enjoying the anticipation of the One who is coming, so for that I say; thank you Lord for the snow!

That should be our driveway...

Saturday December 7: Today I'm thankful for journaling. It is such a great way for me to better express what's going on in my head. I'm much better when I am able to write my thoughts on paper than expressing them verbally. Journaling can even be used as a tool to speak with God and that's just what I needed to do today. I'm sure it's probably from being couped up in the house since Thursday but my mind was starting to get cluttered. Thoughts, insecurities, questions and so much more were beginning to take over. Jesus already knows what I'm thinking so I have no problem taking these things to Him, just laying it out there. But I enjoy writing them down so in a month, or a year I can go back and see how Jesus might have responded to those thoughts. Tale a look at where I am now in relation to those thoughts. Thank you Lord for hearing me no matter how I come to you, whether I speak it out loud or write in on paper, you hear me, thank you.

Sunday December 8: Today I'm thankful for 4 wheel drive! I got to leave the house today! I loved being able to go to church this morning and praise the Lord! As well as hear a sermon I needed to hear. Maybe it's just that I'm more willing to listen to God right now, but it seems like He sure does have a lot to say to me, through lots of people and lots of scripture. Can I just share with you a couple of things from our sermon? Our sermon was from Matthew 7:1-6 was about judging others, about dealing with as a Christian being called judgmental. I struggle so much with this. From the very beginning before ever really starting the pastor mentioned that often our biggest struggle isn't deciding between what's good and bad, but what's good and best. Oh my. Do I ever. It's easy most days for me to choose to do what's good, it's that choosing to do what's best that is far more difficult. Doing what's good seems like enough some days. And sometimes what's best isn't easy or it even requires more work, or it causes tension with someone else. The pastor also talked about how we are of course to make judgment about things, that is the only way to make a decision. Something else he said that really struck me was that we are all entitled to our own opinions, we are not however entitled to our own truths. There is one truth, his name is Jesus. If our opinion, or anyone else's opinion counteracts the truth, it cannot also be truth... and it is not best. And of course judging should not be done to make you feel better about yourself or put others down. It should be done to help you make the best decision you can make. Pastor told us straight out we need to stop sitting around and pointing out all the darkness around us and be the ones to carry a light to it! All of this was so reassuring for me after the week I had last week, and I will hopefully hold on to this reassurance in the weeks to come. Thank you Lord for 4wheel drive!

..Monday December 9: Today I'm thankful for KiKi's coffee house. If you ever want to talk to me, invite me to coffee... at KiKi's, I'll agree, every time. Apparently God knows this as well. Apparently God sends other people to invite me to coffee so He can talk to to me, because this is definitely what happened today. My poor friend thought she was inviting me to coffee so that I could help her with a situation, what she didn't know was she was going to be helping me. I'm not sure I helped her at all other than being a listening ear, but she answered so many questions from that journal entry I talked about there a couple of nights ago, it was just unreal. That night that I journaled and God sent me to Psalm 134... check it out real quick if you want. I guess he didn't think I was taking Him seriously enough so He invited me to coffee today to confirm. So thank you for friends who listen when God tells them to speak to someone (even when they had no idea), and thank you for KiKi's coffee house to get me listening Lord.

Tuesday December 10: Today I am thankful for warm cozy socks. My feet are always freezing!

Wednesday December 11: Today I'm thankful for temperatures getting above freezing for a couple of hours so we could shovel some more ice off the drive! (OUCH!!) Praying I can work the rest of the week. Thank you Lord for the sunshine, temperature above 32, and the ability to push a shovel!

Thursday December 12:
Today I'm thankful for this place

Because this teacher is not salaried, haha. When I can't get here I can't get paid. Thank you Lord for the days I can get there!