It Feels Like Treading Water, Only More Exhausting

The theme of this summer seems to be,

"Planning for the Future".

Dying to Love Someone

Human beings never seem to be at a loss in searching for a good love story. 

The Seed of the Church

How can we continue in our every day, superficial living, when we have continual 
24/7 news coverage and 
Facebook and Twitter and Whatnot Updates showing us the excessive evil 
 that is being set loose upon the 
weakest of the the World's population?

What can we do?

Delays in the Journey

I have a Motto:    

If you don't do something
 at least twice, 
it just isn't any fun.

the real you

One of the most difficult 

things to remember is 

that each person is 

a unique and distinct being. 

We seem to spend an enormous amount of time and effort seeking to be like everyone else 

and then feel dissatisfied. 

In the midst of trying to fit in with the crowd,

 we yearn to be unique.....

Grasping Gratitude: a desperate act

disappointment.

decisions.

disillusion.

depression.

death.

disabilities.

disorders.

disease.

these are things that we face every day.....they come unbidden.......      unwelcome.......      unwanted.......

How are we to deal with these things? What are we to do?

Analyze? Synthesize? Anesthetize? Sympathize?

I have pondered and prayed..... considered the truth that how we think and act are intertwined.......considered that gratitude leads to greatness of faith......and decided that it is necessary to obey God's command to give thanks even if one does not feel thankful at that particular moment......because the alternative is bitterness. 

I will write down my things to be grateful for......thankful for......no matter how small......small things are easily overlooked and they make up the bulk of my life anyway, so why miss life waiting for something large to be thankful for?

The large things are obvious.......salvation, husband, children, home, food, family......

....the small ones, not so much....

.....remembering the sound of that letter........pronouncing that word correctly.......ability to bend a finger that might have to remain crooked.......the loan of an exercise ball for therapy......children who love each other....grandparents who go out of their way to help...

stopping. noticing. writing it down.

I'd like to say it was my idea. I'd even like to say that when it was introduced to me, I jumped right on it and said, "what a great idea".  But no. I think that when you are dealing with the "hard things" so often, it becomes sorta like looking into a microscope. You see things that others can't see....but you have to see them and deal with them......you forget that if you step back from that microscope you can see the whole object in a different perspective.

That is how gratitude becomes a desperate act......it is necessary for survival....for life........for abundance.

It is not easy to "see" things to be thankful for.......but with practice, it becomes easier.......natural......nay, supernatural....because it forces you outside of yourself. 

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

 Psalm 28:7 NIV