i love this time of year and all that it entails...i could do without the excessive commercialism that kicks off the day after halloween, but ive become an expert at ignoring that. i love the effort we make to spend these holidays with family and friends regardless of the distance and the questions it has sparked within our little peach as we talk about all that we have and are thankful for. ive been challenged by my friend to fast for a period of time this season to remind myself what real hunger and want feels like at a time when everything to include great meals seem to flow in excess. to briefly experience a fraction of the suffering that millions live and die with everyday. and to reflect on the multitude of blessings that define my existence.
i heard a great message this sunday at church, one that is worth sharing and meditating on. real gratitude is not dictated by our circumstances, but rather Gods presence in them. living that out would mean our gratefulness wouldnt shift or change. ever. not during the moments when we are healthy and loved nor when we are grieving and alone. imagine if we all lived that out. imagine how different our days would look. how different our hearts would look. imagine if we really just lived a life of gratitude to God simply because we believed Him when He promised to never leave us. to trust and accept that in spite of where we are, we are always close to Him. what if we chose to obey Him when He commanded us to give thanks in everything. not everything joyful. not everything pleasant. simply everything. how amazing would it be to experience that kind of gratitude. it would be impossible to overlook that kind of life. it would be impossible to ignore. it would be so counter to what the norm is, it couldnt help but be significant and even life changing for those around you. it is what i long for. a life lived with significance, with grace and humility, courage and hope and above all, gratitude.
3 comments:
there will always be a place on our sectional with your name on it! come visit and we can take the kiddos to the beach and maybe even disneyland!
Let me precede this by saying that I have no experience with keeping a child in bed. Mine is in a crib. Enough said. But, I have "heard" of friends using a token system - where there are 2 passes (pennies, cards, whatever) placed by the bed and when the child gets out of bed, a token is removed. No more tokens, no more get out of bed. I have no idea if it would work, but maybe worth a try at least! (oh year, and to use the potty is the only exception, obviously)
I love that we take a whole day out to give thanks. We have so much to be thankful for huh? Control top panty hose, cruise control, mojitos, just to name a few...really though, I'm grateful beyond measure for I have all that I need and then some.
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