{a reason for thanks}

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is is good,

for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Psalm 107:1

We've heard it before, probably over and over again.  It may have become so familiar that we don’t really think about its meaning.  But I encourage you to stop right now and go over it slowly.  Savor each word.  What does it mean?  Do we believe it?  And what are the implications for our everyday lives when we do so?

God is always, only good. And His covenant-keeping, faithful love lasts forever.   

But what about those times when the burdens weigh heavy?  When the diagnosis is bleak?  When the heart is breaking?  What about the times when the money doesn't seem to stretch and the prodigal is afar off and the storm winds are battering down upon your world?

Speak this truth to your heart, dear ones.   Whatever you’re facing,

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

for His steadfast love endures forever!

Linger in Psalm 107.  All throughout the chapter, we see examples of trouble and desert experiences and sickness and storms.  As Nancy Leigh DeMoss pointed out at the recent True Woman ’14 Conference, the pattern throughout this passage serves as an example for you and me. 

There’s trouble.  We cry out.  God delivers.  We give thanks. 

Oh, we know the very real pain of this broken world.  In His grace, God uses the pain to draw us to Him, for it’s there that we finally realize how desperately we need Him.  And so we cry out (v.6, 13, 19, 28).  Now He may not provide the desired outcome immediately.  He may not change our circumstances.  But we keep crying out, for in so doing, God will be changing us, bringing about the real deliverance we need.  He alone is our desired haven (v. 30), not a different set of circumstances.   God will always deliver in a way that brings Him the most glory and makes us most like Him.  And our response?  Hearts spilling forth with thanksgiving…

“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,

for His wondrous works to the children of man!”

Psalm 107:8 (15, 21, 31)

“A soul redeemed demands a life of praise.” 

~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Abounding in thanks...

It's easy to make lists of all the everyday stuff I enjoy; the little blessings that make me smile, make my life easier, or bring beauty to ordinary days.  Yet gratitude is to be for so much more than the golden hue that falls over open fields and fills the earth with warmth.  Colossians is packed full of reminders and reasons to be thankful.  In each of the four chapters, Paul references a heart of gratefulness:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you...Colossians 1:3

• I should thank God for the joy and blessing of those whom He has to walk beside me.  Despite sometimes differing opinions and viewpoints and stands, Christ-followers are one.  And I must be thankful for these dear ones with whom I share life.  

...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light...Colossians 1:12

• I should thank God that He has redeemed me and made the way for my sins to be forgiven and our relationship to be restored.

...rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.  Colossians 2:7

• As I continue to grow in my faith and my understanding of what Christ did for me on the cross, thanksgiving should be the hallmark of my life.  As Nancy Leigh DeMoss has written, 

undeniable guilt + undeserved grace = unbridled gratitude

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:15-17

• Dwelling, abiding, in Christ can't help but make me thankful.  For it's here that I'm reminded that I'm not alone.  I'm safe in Him.  I don't need to fret and worry and strive.  He's got everything under control.  When I'm abiding in Him, I've got something to share with those in my life; how He's working and showing Himself faithful; how He's changing and rearranging my heart.  My life can't help but spill over with thankfulness.  

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  Colossians 4:2

• So often I come to God with my lengthy list of ways I need Him to move and provide; ways I'm crying out to Him to act on my behalf.  But as the 1-year-old of yesteryear, I'm learning to come to Him, saying, "Thank You, Father.  You've given me---You are---so much.  Thank You." 

In Christ, I have everything.  

And I long for my life to characterize the joy that comes from resting in that truth.

He's my Jesus.

And I'm thankful.  

And be thankful...

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Colossians 3:12-17

Heavenly Father, I am really, truly, all together blessed.  
Yet so many times, I fail to express my thanks to You.
I take so much for granted.
It's one thing to be aware of beauty and blessings:
the way the lake shimmers in the morning sunlight,
the leaves that crunch beneath my feet and make me so happy,
the reunion of my little posse of 5 under one roof.
And yet, God, to whom do I offer my thanks? 

Cultivate in me a genuine, true heart of thankfulness;
a heart that bubbles over with gratitude.
You, God, are the Giver.  
And every good gift and benefit I enjoy (even those that don't necessarily seem like blessings) is sifted through your all-wise, gracious hands. 
You've poured out so much grace upon my life,
and I want my life, in turn, to be an offering of praise and thanksgiving to You.  

thanks...right here

I was tremendously blessed to read this blog entry earlier this year, and even more blessed to worship with Shannon Wexelberg at the Revive '13:  Women Helping Women Conference last month.

As we transition into this Thanksgiving season, we're so prone to thank God for physical and relational blessings, for answered prayers, for things going our way.  I am so challenged and encouraged by this beautiful reminder that even in the midst of the pain, the difficulty, and the situation we never would have chosen for ourselves, we can give thanks.  Right here.

For in the dark hours---in the valleys of infertility and loss and change---God has drawn me so close to His heart.  I've come to know Him in ways I never had before.  I'm so very mindful of all I would have missed had it not been for those hard times.  He's here, dear one.

Read Shannon's blog post, download her song, and be blessed!

Oh, and here's a short video featuring a bit of her song and her story:

Great Is His Faithfulness

We've heard the story all our lives. 

The abbreviated version:
The Pilgrims came to the new world seeking religious freedom.
After trying, difficult months aboard the Mayflower,
they sighted land and established a colony.
They befriended the Indians
and God graciously used them
to teach the Pilgrims how to plant crops.
They threw a feast in celebration of God's bounty.
And, of course, they gave thanks.

While I've always known that many lives were lost in that first winter of establishing Plymouth Colony, it wasn't till this week that I've truly undertstood the picture of this in its fullness.

Despite the loss of half of those who originally arrived on the Mayflower,
despite their frequent lack of food,
despite the uncertain relations
with neighboring Indian tribes---
they gave God thanks.
And it wasn't just for "stuff."
It was thanks for God's care and guidance and faithfulness.

God has seemingly wanted to impress this on my heart,
as He's been sending me example after example of this in recent days.

My friend and I are doing a Bible study on the life of David.
David, the one God sent Samuel to anoint king,
was on the run again.
He was being hotly pursued by the unstable, enraged, jealous
King Saul who sought his life.
While fleeing from those who would seek to do him harm,
he wrote Psalm 54.
"With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord,
for it is good." (v.6)

And then there's President Abraham Lincoln who declared a day of national thanksgiving and praise IN THE MIDST of the Civil War.
That was a broken, painful time for our nation.
But in the midst of the pain,
President Lincoln knew the importance
of directing thanksgiving and praise
to our Almighty God.

In each of these examples,
eyes and hearts were firmly fixed on Jesus.
Even when life was painful and difficult,
they remembered God's
character, wonders, and provisions.
They believed that even in the trials,
He was faithfully at work and would not abandon them.

What a beautiful, convicting reminder for us in 2011.
No matter the circumstances or seasons of life,
our hearts can and should spill over with sincere gratitude
for His past mercies and faithful love.

All we've needed, His hand has provided.
Great is His faithfulness.

Learning

There is an incredible comfort in the words Paul wrote in Philippians 4.  I'd glossed over them for most of my life, but then God imprinted them indelibly on my heart. 

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."  Philippians 4:11-12

I have learned.

Thankfulness is not our natural response.  It's not our default setting, especially when facing the everyday hardships and trials of life. 

But our friend, Paul, speaks words of hope to my heart:  thankfulness can be learned.  Even...

• on Monday mornings when everything is going wrong
• at the end of the day when our strength is spent
• when we receive the phone call that changes everything
• when there's not enough money to pay the bills
• when the child we love more than life itself tries to deny that love
• when the diagnosis is bleak....

We can be---we can learn to be---thankful.

Whether low or abounding,
filled or hungry,
abundant or needy,
we can rest...be still...rejoice...be thankful:

thankful for His grace...faithfulness...love.
thankful that He's in control when everything's out of our control.
thankful for promises of new mercies...presence...strength;
peace...forgiveness...victory.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:4-7

Of Pink and Tea and Chocolate

It doesn't come as a surprise to anyone that I'm a girlie girl.
I've spoken about it often.
It's also not news to anyone that I live in a houseful of guys.
Gentlemanly (sometimes), raucous, never-a-dull-moment, what-will-they-think-of-next? guys.
I love them.  I over-the-top love, love, love them.
Yet...

God, in His goodness and grace, also placed me in close relationship with girls. 
I have dozens upon dozens (hundreds?) of daughters that have come through our youth group.
Girls I meet for coffee...lunch...movie nights; girls I get to disciple and grow with; girls I get to point to Christ.
I also have dear, dear friends with daughters; friends who have graciously shared their daughters with me and brought me into their girlie circle.

So perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised when my dear friend, Nichole, spoke to me months ago and asked me to do a tea for her daughter's 16th birthday. 
But I was. 
I was awed and humbled and grateful. 
I was reminded that God sees me...sees my heart...sees my desires. 
And He used my dear friend to selflessly share, not only her daughter, but a milestone event in the lives of both of them.


Cake Pops, Rich Chocolate Trifles, & Sugar Cookies

Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches, Ham & Apricot Pinwheels, Chocolate Chip Scones, Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting, Fruit Skewers

Far left corner of the table: Chilled Strawberry Soup

 



Beautiful Mom and Daughter

 

The lovely guest of honor

 

I've had the joy of watching her grow up since she was 3. 

 

My precious friend, Nichole ~
Thank you for sharing your heart, your life, and even your daughter with me. 
It was a day I will treasure always, just as I treasure you.

The Time of Singing (and Being Grateful) Has Come ~ Day 10

...for so very much, I am grateful.

Grateful

for the sunrise and new mercies,
for running, for laughter, for pink,
for coffee with hazelnut creamer,
for balance, for perspective,
for unexpected (but much needed) encouragement,
for kindred hearts, for unity,
for closeness despite distance, for long-awaited reunions,
for autumn leaves, for family nights,
for happy memories, for growth through pain,
for strong hugs, for whispered "I love you"s,
for a haven we call home, for forgiveness,
for God's extravagant grace.

A Monday Happy

I recently drew your attention to an online scrapbooking class that my friend, Tania, is offering (see this post). And by the way, it's not too late to sign up!

A few weeks ago, I visited Tania's blog and learned that she was featuring a giveaway for a beautiful gratitude journal she'd made. This was the very journal she'd pictured months ago...the one I had oohed and aahed over...and okay, coveted.

Tania's blog readers were invited to sign up to win this beautiful journal, so I was quick to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Within a day or so, Tania notified me that I had won! I can't really describe the joy that welled up in my heart that night...the biggest smile overtook my face! You wanna know why? Yes, of course, I was thrilled to have won! But even more than that, the timing of this was so completely of God! That particular day, my heart was hurting especially much with missing my far away friend, not to mention my college girls. I tearfully told my husband that everyone eventually moves away. Yeah, the drag about my pity parties is that I'm the only one who shows up!

But God (that's one of my favorite phrases in the Bible) always knows our heart's needs (see a previous post)!

My beautiful new gratitude journal arrived on my doorstep today. I relished and savored the opening of my box: a gift from my heavenly Father and Tania. As I untied the ribbon and tore away the pink tissue paper, I beheld this beautiful homemade journal...not only with my eyes, but with my heart. Pictures truly don't do it justice. It's even more lovely in person.

Thank you, Tania, for your generous handmade gift. I'm more than a little bit awed at how God orchestrated the whole thing! You can be sure that I will delight in using this sweet journal to recollect and remember God's precious blessings. It will chronicle the people I love, the ordinary moments we share, and unforgettable memories we make. Furthermore, it will tell the beautiful story of God's faithfulness in loving me, correcting me, forgiving me, and being exactly what I need.

For that, I am thankful.

Gratitude

When our boys were younger, we'd often sing "Count Your Blessings" as we tucked them in bed at night. It was an active way to focus on God's bountiful provision...and to teach our boys to be watchful and mindful of His loving care for them.

Similarly, when they were much younger, we kept a gratitude journal. Periodically, I'd ask them to list the things for which they were thankful, and I'd record them in our little journal. Even now, my heart wells up as I catch small glimpses into the hearts of my sweet boys.

• 7-27-99 ~ I'm thankful for Mommy who makes such wonderful pancakes. ~ 4-year-old D
• 8-2-99 ~ I'm thankful for Daddy. ~ 2-year-old R
• I'm thankful for T's mommy who makes good food for me when I go to her house. ~ 4-year-old D
• 8-7-99 ~ I'm thankful for Mommy who plays with me. ~ 4-year-old D
• 8-16-99 ~ I'm thankful my birthday is coming up. ~ 4-year-old son
• I'm thankful for my birthday, too! ~ 2-year-old R
• 10-30-99 ~ I'm thankful that God gave me such wonderful friends ~ 4-year-old D
• I'm thankful for videos. ~ 3-year-old R
• 11-2-99 ~ I'm thankful Mommy makes my food. ~ 4-year-old D
• I'm thankful for food, too! ~ 3-year-old R
• 2-9-00 ~ I'm thankful for my best friend, E. ~ 3-year-old R
• 11-00 ~ I'm thankful for family, food, clothes, the Bible, friends ~ 6-year-old D
• 11-01 ~ I'm thankful for my blankie, Pooh Bear, toys, my bed, Daddy & Mommy, my brothers, friends ~ 5-year-old R
• I'm thankful for my family, that we live close to a nice lake, grandmas and grandpas close-by, warm beds, nice house, blankies, toys, a nice climbing tree, the Bible, that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, clothes, and food. ~ 7-year-old D
• 11-03 ~ I'm thankful for my dog, Gunnar, family, friends, food, toys, and turkey. ~ 9 year-old D
• 11-04 ~ I'm thankful for my blankie, Daddy & Mommy, my brothers, grandmas and grandpas, uncles and aunts, animals, sports, videos, games, church ~ 5-year-old L
• I'm thankful for my blankie, Pooh Bear, Mommy & Daddy, grandmas and grandpas, cousins, my brothers, my bed, my house, animals, the Thanksgiving meal, and my dog, Gunnar ~ 8-year-old R
• I'm thankful for Mom and Dad, Jesus, cousins, turkey, K'Nex, Legos, my brothers, that Mommy came out of surgery okay, Gunnar, friends, grandmas and grandpas ~ 10-year-old D

Oh, those simple memories make my heart smile. Yet, sadly, my good intentions are often just that, and the gratitude journal seemingly got lost in the shuffle of day-to-day living.

I've been pondering this recently, wondering how we're doing at instilling a heart of gratitude in our boys. Or perhaps more pointedly, how are we doing at modeling a heart of gratitude before our boys? What do they see in me?

• Do they see a heart that is grateful for the worn 15-year-old couch I've recently been heard complaining about?
• Do they see a heart that is trusting in God alone when the economy is rocky?
• Do they see a heart that is willing to give God thanks, even for those things for which I may never have the privilege of understanding?
• Do they see a heart overflowing with thanks when God chooses to answer my prayers in a way contrary to how I'd prayed He might?
• Do they see a heart that consistently points to God as the Giver of all good things, rather than taking that honor upon myself?

Oh, I'm thankful for family and beds and blankies and all those things that bring me comfort and security. But this season, my prayer is that I'll be thankful for those things that don't necessarily bring me comfort; those things that are downright painful or difficult to understand. For it's those things that send me running headlong to my Father. It's those things that press me into Him and conform me to His image.

And that's what I want...