Pain is good because it reminds me that I’m still alive.
I’m thankful for dirty glasses. It’s only on the outside, not the inside. My eyesight isn’t gone (yet).
I’m thankful for crying eyes. Cutting onions, repelling foreign objects, thinking of something sad. All of these evoke my tears. Check, check, check. Everything’s working properly.
I’m thankful for frozen toes from walking through puddles of ice water. Some of my diabetic patients last year couldn’t have felt the cold in their feet. Now they can’t walk either.
I’m thankful for the aching heart. It tells me that my heart is still soft. Many harden their hearts, stubbornly hiding from pain. Mine says that it is still tender.
But I have this treasure in an earthen vessel, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of me. I am hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; I am perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in my body. (II Corinthians 4:7-10)
I’ve been busy on Wednesdays, blue on Thursdays, and pretty much beat on Fridays.
But today I turned a corner and am beating the Thursday blues.
TODAY, I’m thankful…
…for the mercies of God that are new every morning
…for a wildly productive morning (morning routine, Bible study, zone cleaning, trash out, recycling sorted, car cleaned, and bills paid–all before 7:30 am)
…for salmon pink contrails on my way into work
…for a remarkably smooth lab session (kudos to my first lab group, who did a FANTASTIC job on their presentation)
…for getting my tax return filed (and not having to pay any taxes this year)
…for a lovely lunch with my dad
…for time to ride my the rec center’s bicycle this afternoon
…for a post-poned meeting that meant I had an extra hour to do statistics homework
…for a work assignment that’s just up my alley (creating some study activities for the Nutrition and Metabolism students to use to practice and apply the carbohydrate knowledge they’ll soon be gaining)
…for an ACTUAL STUDENT who showed up at my office hours today
…for getting to the exam I was proctoring on time (even if just barely)
…for a stimulating conversation with Sabine (I am SO thrilled to be working for her!)
…for my sweat pants back (even if I had to dig through Grace’s laundry basket to find them–I’m gonna be warm tonight.)
…for the vegetarian chili that’s still leftover–and still tasting great (I’ve eaten at least one bowl a day for the last five days, and it tastes better with each passing day. How many recipes can YOU say that about?)
…for my little space heater and time to “catch up” on the internet
…for the terrific little web-site ap thingie I just found. With it, you can find songs and let people listen to them on your website. It’s sort of like YouTube except that it has 2nd Chapter of Acts songs.
(which makes me wonder…might it have my other favorite Christian bands from the 70’s? hmmm….)
Ultimately, I’m thankful that God is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Today I’m thankful that it coulda been much worse.
I coulda mistakenly bought $25 worth of unnecessary groceries instead of $5 worth.
I coulda budgeted 1/2 hour too little time to set up my lab instead of 5 minutes too little time.
I coulda broken my leg when I fell on the ice/slush today instead of just getting the left leg of my pants soaked through.
I coulda had a half dozen students upset that I missed half of my “office hour” when my meeting ran late.
I coulda not been able to get to class in time, instead of having to park at a meter in order to get to class on time.
My adviser coulda completely shot down my thesis proposal instead of just telling me to find a theory to tie it to.
I coulda been completely overwhelmed by the physical and emotional events of this week, but God’s grace has been all sufficient.
It coulda been much worse, but it wasn’t–and for that, I am thankful.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
God is good. He is trustworthy. He is sovereign. His plan for me, whatever that is, is for His glory and for my joy. I can trust my life, every part of it, to His hand, knowing that even if things do not go MY way, God is working all things in my favor.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 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?” (Romans 9:28-32)
This Piper video, which I discovered via Buzzard Blog, serves only to reinforce my hope in God’s sovereignty.
Join with me, if you will, in singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”
Verse 1: Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Chorus: Great is Thy Faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Verse 2: Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Verse 3: Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
Thankful that amidst the whirl of feelings and thoughts and hormones (yes, big girls have those too!), Truth is steadfast.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)–and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8).
He is Truth, and He is unchanging. Steadfast, immovable, a rock on which to build my life.
Many a time in the past several weeks, I’ve been reminded of Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” I so long to be a wise woman, one who builds my house–but I am reminded even today of how that house is to be built.
In Matthew 7:24, Jesus said “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” It is only if my house is founded on the rock, the foundation of obedience to Christ, that I can build a house that will stand.
So, Lord, give me grace to fix my eyes on You beyond the many things I would be tempted to focus my gaze upon. Give me grace to hear Your word above the word of my own mind or my own heart. Give me grace to be obedient to Your direction, whether my heart and will agree or not.
I recognize that unless You build my house, all my housebuilding labor is in vain (Ps 127:1). So, Lord, I ask that you would work in me to will and to do Your good pleasure, building my home on the truth of who You are and what You have spoken.
Thank You for the wise friends and counselors who continue to remind me to turn my eyes towards You, You who are Truth.
One pieced quilt top (Yeah, I’ll still have to get it quilted if I’m going to give it to them tomorrow. Break out the machine!)
Two turned-in papers (Why did I save them until today? Good question.)
Three on three basketball last night (Can you believe it? I barely can!)
Four requirements from God (Deuteronomy 10:12–“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to FEAR the Lord your God, to WALK in all His ways…to SERVE the Lord your God…and to KEEP the commandment of the Lord.”)
Five books to return to the library. (Not that many, but I’m getting there on a couple more.)
Six days off before Christmas (okay, that’s kinda cheating!)
Seven fantastic siblings (even if sometimes they annoy me.)
An eight o’clock phone call. (Will that mean an earlier night or a longer conversation, I wonder?)
Nine A.M. with Joanna (Going to get that quilting done!)
And above all that, I’m thankful that the Lord our God is One. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Packing up the lab in preparation for next semester with Joyce
Getting close to done with my last couple of classes (some papers written–still some more to go)
Almost done with a couple of good books (due back tomorrow so I’d better be almost done
About to embark on an adventure that scares me and excites me at the same time
For friends and Menter’s (pun intended)
A heart to heart with my mom while baking Christmas cookies yesterday
Lunch with Grace (grilled cheese and tomato soup) and help with packing this afternoon
Dinner with Rodney and Malinda and then quilting with Malinda this evening
For unexpected blessings
Being able to get out of my on-street parking after packing this afternoon
Having a bright sun-shiny day despite the cold
Getting all the lab reports graded today
Having Malinda call and invite me to dinner and quilting
For the limitless love of Christ
He knows me better than I know myself
He cares for me better than I could ever care for myself
He guides me into things better than I could ever dream of myself
Thank You, Lord, for Your unending love. Thank You for Your mercies that are new each morning. Thank You that You are entirely trustworthy. I give You my life–I am Yours.
for an electric blanket that keeps me warm on Winter’s cold nights
for a new pair of fuzzy yoga pants for bedtime wear
for leg warmers to slip under my boots (why do shoemaker’s think that just because you’ve got big feet you’ll have huge calves? Oh well, I guess it’s to my advantage that I can fit my leg warmers on UNDER my boots rather than having to go over)
for a schedule today that only requires one outing (to the library–got a coupla dozen books to return)
for hot leftover soup
that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning
Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
Today I’m thankful for the amazing family God has blessed me with–and the fantastic day I was able to spend with them.
I’m thankful for…
A table full of all my favorite foods
A dinner-table discussion of the laws of thermodynamics (okay, so we’re all nerds)
Fun songs on the improvised radio on the way to clean the church
A quick church cleaning expedition-in which we got all the vacuuming done in record time, to the sounds of rock on the overhead, John singing “Figaro”, and Dad singing “Scrub another toilet, scrub a toilet next to you…”
A relaxing afternoon reading and watching my brothers “Dance Praise”–da da da, da da-da-da DAH.
A lesson in internet stalking from my father, the master–although I’m a halfway decent pupil :-)
More good food with my aunt and uncle and their crew
A great discussion on the proper place for prophesy, the Biblical definition of prophesy, the state of education in the state of California, fraud in major ministries, the Bible answer man, and the politics of global warming.
A new name for the Daniel-Debbie phenomenon (still upset that he hasn’t given her a ring yet). We’re calling them “Danby” (a la Support Your Local Sheriff) instead of the earlier “Debuel”.
A satisfactory conclusion to the question “How are we getting to Aunt Martha’s tomorrow?”
A family debate over the name for Mom’s new car. Wanna weigh in? Top contenders are the “Maroon Prune” or the “Burgundy Bomb”. Let me know what you think.
For this and so much more, O Lord, I give Thee thanks.
Today I’m thankful for the small advances, the little things that indicate I’m closer to finished than I was a week ago.
My bathroom is clean, truly clean, for the first time in months. I cleaned the mirrors! And the floor! And got out the big guns for the bathtub and toilet. It feels nice, really nice.
My room is tidy, or at least almost tidy. That is, the only stacks are books–no papers, laundry, reusable shopping bags, trash, or stuff that belongs elsewhere.
The dishes are done–for now. I’ve been Susie Homemaker lately–but I do the dishes just as I’m dirtying more. This time, my counter-top is clear. Well, clear until I have dinner tonight (turkey-corn chowder, yum!)
My quilt is almost half done. I enjoyed several hours of good quilting time this morning–and made considerable progress.
I’ve had a call back on my job application. Unfortunately, she called while I was driving at the very end of the workday. So, I didn’t end up talking to the HR person–but she wants me to call her back tomorrow. That certainly sounds promising.
I’ve got some leads for my continued genealogy search. Since I started doing family history, I’ve had a big blank spot for my Grandma Menter’s family. I knew that her maiden name was Williams and that her mother’s name was Clara. Not exactly the most promising information. But Dad dug out some boxes for me to look through on Sunday–and I found out that Clara’s maiden name was Washburn and that she had a brother named Frank and a sister named Minnie. I also learned that my great-grandfather (Clara’s husband) was named Albert H and had a brother named Walter. Definitely the best leads I’ve had in genealogy for a while.
And I’m thankful that God is always at work around me, developing my character to match the assignment He has for me: that I might be perfect, lacking nothing, and that I might have hope.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-5)
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
