YEAR OF THANKS #3

September

This month I am thankful for the people in my life that take those few minutes a day to make sure I'm doing okay. Friends, family, and the people closest to me know that I am not someone who will seek help from others. Not only am I an empath, I also have introverted tendencies, so I keep things that bother me bottled up (until I explode) - sound familiar? But, when I do decide to reach out, I know I can count on those closest to me for their support. I am so truly blessed that I have such wonderful people in my life that have been there for me through all the different levels of hell that I've been through in my life, and even the trivial trials that I've faced. I thank God for each one of these very important individuals!

Recently, something happened that really threw me for a loop; people usually don't surprise me, but the actions of this person definitely did. Because of this, my mind was sent swimming toward the vortex of all those emotions that can drive the sanity right out of someone. Thank God I have a strong constitution, which I wouldn't have without Christ in my life, and praise God that HE continues to protect us! The situation could have been a lot worse, so I'm thankful that it wasn't. I'm also thankful that, along with my family and friends, we have been able to work through it and can now move forward; praise God! 

Links

Joyce Meyer Ministries

Year of Thanks - Faith Warrior

Year of Thanks #2 - Faith Warrior

YEAR OF THANKS #2

FEBRUARY

The second month in my Year of Thanks Challenge and looking back on the past few weeks there are many things that I am thankful for. But, this month I want to especially thank God for my friends. One of the highlights of my year so far was having lunch with a friend, it was such a special day to me, we had gone to a restaurant that we both had not been to before, and there in this public place she brought her paperback copies of both of my self-published works for me to sign. It was a great moment in my life. We had only recently reconnected after a few years, we both have gone through so much, and it's been so wonderful catching up. I'm just so thankful that this friend is back in my life.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow..." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I'm very blessed and thankful for the friends that I do have in my life. While I do appreciate the networking and virtual friends, it has been the physical interactions that have meant more to me through this time in my life. When I was caring for my special needs son, the friends that made the effort to stay in my life, who visited and showed their support mean the world to me. The friends that have continued to be by my side through all the dark times and rough patches, they are the ones that are still there. I may not have a plethora of friends, but the one's I do have are real blessings. When we do get together to time shared is valued and cherished.

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

YEAR OF THANKS

The past few years have been challenging to say the least. I've been through too much and I am declaring that 2015 will be my YEAR OF THANKS! I want to renew my relationship with God, learning His word, growing spiritually, and letting it all take root in my life! With the new year I had already challenged myself, that every morning when my alarm goes off to immediately open my Bible app and read the scripture for the day. Then, on Joyce Meyer Ministries Facebook page, they have been posting so many wonderful daily devotionals (which I have been reading). As well, they have issued different challenges, the #YEAROFTHANKS challenge (which I will be doing), and the 3030 challenge (I didn't sign-up for but, in essence I will be doing anyway).

For my Year of Thanks challenge I am going to post something I am thankful for in my life each month. This will help me in different ways. It will help me spiritually, it will also help me to overcome the fear of expressing what I am thankful for. In the past, when I have praised or shown appreciation for something in my life - to me - I felt that it was taken away from me. I know God does not want me to live in fear and if I continue to be afraid, then that negativity will consume my life. I want to be happy, God wants me to be happy, and I know this is the route to my happiness. This is the journey He wants me to take...

JANUARY

So, to start off my Year of Thanks Challenge, the first thing above all else that I am irrevocably thankful for is God. Without Him by my side, I don't know how I would have survived everything that I have. I know He was with me when I was in the hospital, I know He's been with me through the darkest of times, and He always will be. He has understood when I have been mad and He remains patiently by my side. "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV 

For the past couple of years I have sort of crept into this depression where I thought I wasn't getting "the good things in life" because, for some reason, God wasn't rewarding me. My entire mind-set was wrong and because I wasn't studying His word or working on our relationship, that depression fueled those delusional thought patterns. After losing so much and having to move back in with my parents, when I'm well into my 30's now, is rather depressing. However, my faith tells me that God has a plan and I should not seek worldly desires. What I want for my life isn't necessarily what God wants or has had planned. "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 ESV

I pray that God will continue to guide and teach me, that I continue to grow, and to honor Him. Through His timing, that I walk His chosen path for my life that He has blessed me with. I praise God for everything that He has blessed me with in my life so far and look forward to what He still has in store for my future. I pray for those less fortunate than I am, that He work in their lives, and that we all work together to glorify Him. Amen.