Gratitude

Think on These Things

Philippians 4:4-8 KJV 

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

So often I allow myself to be burdened with what isn't going well in my life. I focus on what has gone wrong, is going wrong, or even what may go wrong. How wrong is that?!

I am to rejoice always-even when things go "wrong". I need to take everything to God in prayer and leave it at His feet. But most importantly, I need to focus on the good.

I need to focus on how much God has blessed me, how much He loves me, and how much He has always taken care of me. I need to think on truth and not lies. I need to think on what is pure instead of letting my mind wander into those dark waters.

Lately, I have been focusing on the wrong things. Join me today in focusing on the good, the true, the lovely.

• I am thankful for beautiful weather.
• I am thankful that two of my girls got deer during youth hunt.
• I am thankful for friends who even though it may be weeks between seeing each other, we know we are praying for each other everyday and that when we do get a chance to get together, it will be blessed.
• I am thankful for the ability to home school. It might not always be easy, but I love being with my children and seeing them grow not only in knowledge, but also in the Lord.
• I am thankful for my blog and my followers. I have always had a desire to write and this gives me an opportunity to do so and if I can help or encourage someone else along the way--what an added blessing!

Please share a few things you are thankful for today!

Marriage Moment Monday-Count Your Blessings

This may sound like it is too simple to work, but try it. 

Count your blessings!

Sit and write down a list of all the good things about your husband for which you are thankful. Then write a list about the things in your marriage for which you are thankful.

Then tell your husband those things!

 You may choose to write him a letter. You could even send a thank you card through the mail (who doesn't like receiving mail?!).

You could tell him over dinner. Maybe go on a date so the two of you are alone or put the kids to bed early and have a special dinner. If you think your husband would agree, maybe ask him to do the same and then you can share your lists. Or, you could just discuss it over dinner instead of writing it down beforehand.

In any case, count your blessings. No matter how hard life seems to be at times, there is always something for which to be thankful. If you are in a rough spot in your marriage, thinking on the good things can only help. If your marriage is in a good spot, thinking on the good things will only make it better.

Philippians 4:8 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

"[I]n everything" we are to give thanks. We are to be thankful even in times of trials. Even when we are suffering we are to be joyful. Why? Because you can not be joyful and full of self-pity and anger at the same time.

There is always something to be grateful for in your life. Foster a life of gratitude and thanksgiving and you will have less bitterness.

I've written before about Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts and how I journaled my 1000 gifts (here and here). I heard of another way to catalog gratitude--The ABC's of Gratitude (looking back at my blog I saw that I did an ABC's of Thanksgiving 5 years ago). Try to make a list every day (or every week) and find something to be grateful about for each letter of the alphabet.

A--Allyn
B--Brother (Jim)
C--Cora
D--Dara
E--Eva
F--Ford (my son, not the company!)
G--God's Word
H--Hava
I--In-laws
J--Jaina
K--Kitchen (both in my house and the new summer kitchen!)
L--Long time friends
M--Martha
N--Nature
O--One flesh (Chad!)
P--Parents
Q--Quiet mornings
R--Reading books
S--Sabra
T--Tissa
U--Ultimate sacrifice (Christ's blood!)
V--Vegetables
W--Womb
X--X-tra beautiful sunsets
Y--Yahweh
Z--Zion (Biblical)

Still Learning to be Thankful

107. Reading out loud to the girls
108. Ovens
. . . . . .
114. Snow
. . . . . .
119. A working vacuum
120. Essential oils
. . . . . .
124. Brownie crumbs
. . . . . .
131. Restored relationships
. . . . . .
136. Visits with friends
. . . . . .
142. Puke buckets
143. Norwex cloths
. . . . . .
149. Used flannel sheets
150. Sewing machine

I'm still learning to be thankful in all circumstances and will continue recording my "gifts" at least until I reach 1000. I may decide to continue even after that because I am sure it will be a life changing experience.

Don't forget about my giveaway of Ann Voskamp's One Thousands Gifts. You can enter to win up to four times--just don't forget to leave a comment telling me each thing you accomplished.

Learning to Be Thankful and Giveaway!

When One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp came out, I was told by numerous people that it was a good book. I wanted to read it, but didn't have the money to purchase my own copy. After a few months, I discovered I had a friend who had the book and would let me borrow it. I devoured the book. I want to learn to be more thankful in my life and I want to learn to have joy (which only comes from being thankful). I knew that I would need to read the book more than one time so I kept my eye out for my own copy. I have now gotten a copy for myself so I can read it again and I am working on coming up with my own thousands gifts. Here are a few of what I have already written down.

2. Quite time with God in the morning
. . . . .
6. Laundry to wash
. . . . .
17. Fruitful womb
. . . . .
33. Prayers of others
34. Praying for others
. . . . . .
48. Hair to braid (my girls')
. . . . .
64. Dirty dishes (because it means we had food to eat)
. . . . .
75. Bills to pay (because we can pay them and we are fortunate enough to be able to have things like electricity, phone, etc.)
76. Indoor plumbing
. . . . .
89. Cloth diapers
. . . . .
97. Hand-smudged windows
. . . .
101. Spontaneous songs of praise by my girls
. . . .
104. Muscle testing

I will share more as days go by. I still have a long way to go, but I have to say that it is getting easier and easier day by day to find the joy in life just by simply giving thanks. Many people might call that a "Pollyanna" view of life, but it is God's view of life.

I was also able to secure a copy of the book at a great price just this past week and I want to pass it on to one of you! The giveaway will be open until Christmas day. I will draw a winner the day after and get it mailed out so that hopefully whoever wins it will have it for the new year. Wouldn't giving thanks and finding joy be a great New Year Resolution?!

For your chance to win a copy of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, simply leave a comment telling me one thing you are thankful for and an email address where I can contact you (please feel free to leave a broken address if you wish--example: memoriesmama @ netonecom . net or memoriesmamaATnetonecomDOTnet)

For extra entries:

• Follow Gracious Daughter of the King
• Share this giveaway on your blog (make sure to include a link back to this page)
• Share this giveaway on Facebook (again, make sure to include a link back to this page)

For any of the extra entries, please leave a separate comment on this post.

Good luck and be thankful!

Never Leaves Us Comfortless!

I have read that, with every time of trying, God never leaves us comfortless. I am sure we would not be alone if we were to describe some of the trials we are facing--I have read in the Psalms something to the effect that "the afflictions of the righteous man are many, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). So glad his comforts were ours today! --Large Family Mothering

Yesterday was a great day! After having some hard emotional times lately, it was great to not only have a day full of joy, but to be reminded of God's faithfulness and provisions.

Chad was preaching up in Empire again. The weather wasn't the greatest for an 1 1/2 hour drive, but we made it there safely. We were warmly greeted by all there. Dara received high compliments for playing the piano for the four weeks we were there. While she sometimes made mistakes, they said it was a blessing to them. They appreciated her being willing to be used by God instead of being worried about it not being "perfect". It was nice to hear others telling her the same things we have been telling her.

Chad's sermon was good and seemed to be perfect for some of the people in the congregation. He even was able to continue a discussion about it with one of the men who it particularly pertained to.

I was once again reminded of the joy of children as we sang a last song, "The First Noel" and Martha, Jaina and Cora all tried singing along. All they new was "noel" and "king", but they sang their hearts out none the less with beautiful smiles on their faces.

After church, we went to a little pizza place for lunch. We enjoyed talking with another couple that was there that made mention of how well behaved the girls were being. When Chad went to pay for our pizza just before leaving, we were told that the couple had paid for our meal! What a true act of kindness and a reminder from our Good Lord that He will bless us beyond what we can imagine!

We then went to Moomers (the best ice-cream place ever!) and not only enjoyed the ice-cream, but was able to vote for the employee gingerbread house contest. The girls had a blast choosing "Best of Show", "Wouldn't want to live there", "Best house for Santa", etc.

After arriving home, the girls had a blast riding the kitty cat and ovation around the yard. I don't think there was a single spot that didn't have a track on it! They came in and warmed up with hot cups of tea. We then watched a great movie for family night (Saving Sarah Cain--I highly recommend it!). It just reminded us about how important family is and standing for our convictions as well as the saving grace of God. He will use every circumstance for the glory of those who love the Him!

Yesterday was a great day and I am so thankful the Lord blessed us with all the great reminders of His great love for us! It never ceases to amaze me the love He has for us even though we are sinners and mess up more times than we care to admit.

If you are going through a hard time right now, please remember that God will comfort those who follow Him. He will "deliver you out of your afflictions"!

My ABC's of Thankfulness

A friend posted on her blog her ABC's of Thankfulness and I was so encouraged by reading her list, that I wanted to make my own and share with everyone here. It isn't very easy because there are a number of things I wanted to put for each letter. Please know that this list is not exhaustive of what I am thankful for but only a glimpse into my blessings.

A--Almighty and Awesome God! I serve and Almighty and Awesome God!
B--Beauty! I am surrounded by God's beauty every day as I look at His creation and the children He has blessed me with.
C--Children! Growing up I never imagined having a large family, but the Lord knows better than I and has blessed me abundantly with children!
D--Deliverance! Christ's shed blood has delivered me from the bondage of sin and allows me to live a life of freedom.
E--Everlasting love! Christ loves me with an everlasting love!
F--Forgiveness! I am thankful that not only does my Lord forgive my sins, but I am surrounded by a husband and girls that also forgive me when I mess up.
G--God! I can't say enough that I'm thankful that I serve a loving, caring, and forgiving God!
H--Husband! The Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband who not only loves me and my girls, but works very hard to provide us with what we need and is a great spiritual leader in our home.
I--Immanuel! God is truly with me each and every day.
J--Jehovah Jireh! My Lord has shown me He is Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who Provides) over and over in my life.
K--Kindness! I am blessed to not only be on the receiving end of kindness from those in my life and even those I meet for the first time, but am blessed to be able to show kindness to those around me.
L--Love! The love of my Heavenly Father and of my family gets me through each and every day.
M--Marriage! I'm thankful that God created the institute of marriage and has blessed my marriage so abundantly.
N--Natural Healing! I'm so thankful that God created everything we would need in nature and has given us the wisdom to know what and how to use those remedies.
O--Oneness! Not only do I serve the One true God, but He made my husband and I, one.
P--Parents! I've been blessed with parents who love me and my family even though they don't always agree with decisions we make. They support us with words of encouragement and continue to be spiritual guides in our lives.
Q--Quiet! It doesn't occur much in my household, but I am thankful for those quiet moments in which I am able to abide in my Father.
R--Redeeming love! Christ redeemed me with His precious blood.
S--Scripture! I'm thankful the Lord has given us His Word to help guide us through this life.
T--Trials and tribulations! I know it might sound weird, but I am thankful for the trials and tribulations because it allows me to grow and always draws me closer to the Lord.
U--Unity! Not only unity with God, but with my husband and within the body of Christ.
V--Victory! Victory in Jesus, My Savior forever. . .
W--Womb! I am thankful that not only has God blessed my womb abundantly, but also that I am able to experience having a child grow in my womb. My heart goes out to those who long for a child in their womb.
X--"X"! The Greek letter for Christ.
Y--Yesterdays! I'm thankful for my yesterdays. They may not have always been pleasant, but they made me the person I am today and God used those experiences to draw me closer to Him.
Z--Zero! The number of things that can separate me from the Love of God.

Gratituesday

I have been reading another blogger's "Gratituesday" for a while and decided I would like to give it a shot!

I am so thankful for the rain we have been having! Our lawn is nice and green and I know my garden is being nourished! Thank you, Lord!