Thanksgiving

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name."  Psalm 100:4

This Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.  It was always one of my favorite holidays - especially as we shared what we were thankful for as we sat around the table.  I miss the turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie - but most of all I miss family and sharing thankfulness. 

My mind has been reeling with all the things I'm thankful for.  The list is endless because God has been so good to me.  Even as I lift up current needs to Him, I can't help but think of all the answers to prayer in recent years.  I am thankful, thankful, thankful!!

"Give thanks in all circumstances."  1 Thessalonians 5:18 

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."  Psalm 9:1

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever."  Psalm 136:1 

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord.  Psalm 92:1a

"Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits."  Psalm 103:2

Someone said "Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind."  My heart is full to overflowing with gratitude!!

Don't Give Up

I'm so grateful for all the faithful prayers being lifted up for me around the world.  At times when I'm facing something difficult - or I'm feeling discouraged - or I'm not doing good physically - it makes me feel so encouraged to know that others are praying for me!  It's such a comfort.

Last week I had an answer to some of those prayers!  I had my checkups to see what happened from my radiation therapy.  It was good news!  The tumor has shrunk, and the cancer hasn't spread.  We wished the tumor had shrunk more - or even disappeared - but I'm so grateful that it shrunk!!  Will keep praying for further results.

Someone recently told me that I shouldn't keep asking for prayer for healing.  God has clearly said "no" since I'm not healed.  I should accept that, and just learn the lessons He has for me.  I thought about it, and realized I don't agree with that perspective.

I have tried to learn every lesson the Lord has had for me on this long unexpected journey.  But I've also felt to keep asking for healing.  I think we're given that freedom to ask, and ask repeatedly, in the Word.  I think of the parable of the persistent widow who kept asking the judge for her request.  She didn't give up.  She kept asking.  

In this parable I think Jesus was teaching His disciples, and us, to never give up!  He teaches them the importance and power of persistence and resilience.  We will all face hard things - disappointment, illness, loss, suffering - but we shouldn't give up or lose hope.

In persisting and enduring, God will never give us more than we can bear.  We may sometimes feel it's "too much," but God is with us and knows how much we can endure.  The trials strengthen us, even as we pray for deliverance.  We need to keep our eyes on Him and trust Him.  He will help us endure.  I’ve said before, when God says "no" there is a better "yes" to come.  But I don't see anywhere that He tells us to stop praying and asking for deliverance to whatever our situation is.  He can change our situation in an instant.  In the meantime, our response is to trust Him.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." 1 Corinthians 10:13

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."  Psalm 23:4

"God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."  Isaiah 12:2

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord."  Psalm 27:14

I'm grateful for the results from my check up.  And I'm thankful for all the wonderful things the Lord has taught me these last 9+ years.  And I'll keep asking for His healing touch throughout my body.  I love Him and trust Him.  God is so good!

The last few days have been a bit rocky.  I think I'm impacted by the cold, wet weather (everyone is - winter just won't go away!) and by some pain I've had.  I think I was recovering from the stress of all my checkups too. 

I was talking to the Lord about all this, and was reminded to be thankful in all circumstances.  As you know, that's not always the easiest thing to do.  I realized I can keep it simple - just saying "thank you Jesus" in the midst of whatever is happening.  The more I said it, the better I felt.  I could feel joy coming in the midst of the hard things.  The simple expression of gratitude helped to brighten my situation.  I've just kept thanking the Lord day by day.  It has given me strength to keep going in spite of things dragging me down.

And - I have soooo much to be thankful for.  At one point this week, I just started speaking out all the things I have to thank the Lord for.  It took quite a while as God has been so good to me.  And, again, as I did that it helped lift the heavy things from my heart.  Gratitude is a powerful thing!

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  Romans 12:12

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good."  Psalm 107:1

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  2 Corinthians 12:9

"Trust in Him at all times - pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."  Psalm 62:8

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Joy, strength, comfort, help, healing, and grace come as we simply thank Him!  I've known this, but this week I learned it again.  I'm so grateful for His help with every single thing I walk through.  He is so faithful!

I'm Grateful

There's a question that I've often been asked.  I imagine you've had it too.  Someone will say "how are you?"  The standard answer is "I'm fine."  But many times that wasn't the case.  I wasn't fine.  I may have been sick in some way - or discouraged - or overwhelmed.  But people don't want to hear a litany of those things.  They're usually just being polite in asking the question.

Recently someone shared on the FaceBook prayer page something her pastor had taught.  When someone asks "how are you?" - a good answer is "I'm grateful."  I love that!!!  And it's true.  Even in hard times, my heart is grateful.  It's the perfect answer to that question.

Some things I'm grateful for today:

• Sunshine!!  The last few days have been sooo cold.  The sun today warms my heart and my body.

• Grocery delivery!  One good thing that the pandemic brought is delivery service.  I can order just about anything and have it delivered.

• Friends!  A friend came over today to help me with something.  I so appreciated it.

• Strength!  I had a long list of things to accomplish, and the Lord gave me strength to make it through the list.

• The internet!  It allows me to communicate with all of you from right here in my home.  I'm old enough to remember when we had to communicate with letters.  It took days to get a message to someone.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  Proverbs 17:22

My heart is cheerful - filled with gratitude.

When I face challenging situations (I’ve had a few this week) - I face a big temptation!  To worry!  My mind for details thinks through everything about the projects.  If I'm not careful, I can get bogged down in the pit of worry.  I have to continually give things to the Lord.  Even in the midst of a stressful project I had this week, I had to walk away, sit down, and give everything to the Lord.  One time wasn't enough!  I had to keep giving things to the Lord and ask Him to carry the burden for me.

Continually communicating with the Lord is our protection from being weighed down by the burdens we face - both large and small.  The key is the constant communication!  The Lord doesn't get tired of our bringing the situation to Him.  He is always available, always listening, always ready to help.  As I gave the burden to Him repeatedly, I could feel His help and strength to make it through.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"  Luke 12:25,26

"In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.  From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears."  Psalm 18:6 

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."  Proverbs 12:25

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6,7

I had a friend speaking kind words - and was surrounded by the peace of the Lord.  It was a good week. :) 

His Wraparound Presence

I’ve shared about grief a number of times lately.  It comes in many forms and there is no expiration date!  I find my grief often pops up because of a memory trigger.  A sweet memory from the past comes to mind, and I miss Floyd all over again.  I'm grateful for the memories.  They are treasures that I savor.  But they do expose what's missing now, what I've lost.

I've never walked through this kind of grief before, so I don't know how long it will last - but I have a feeling it will stay with me.  I am also guessing it will be less intense as time goes on.

"The process of mourning is as unique to a person as a fingerprint."  I read this quote a few days ago.  I know it's true.  I have several friends who have lost their husbands, but each of our journeys are very different.  And that's okay.  We can grieve and mourn in any way our heart needs.  There's no right or wrong way to grieve.

I've found myself praying for comfort, grace, and healing for many others who are grieving.  I know the Lord is mindful of each one of us in our grief, and I pray for His "wraparound presence" to be with each of us.

"Your wraparound presence is my shield."  Psalm 7:10 TPT

"His wraparound presence is all I need."  Psalm 62:1  TPT

"Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows."  Isaiah 53:4

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction."  2 Corinthians 1:3

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Matthew 5:4

In many ways I "lost" Floyd almost 7 years ago when he first became sick - even though he only passed away a year and a half ago.  I want to testify to the Lord's goodness, comfort, care, and faithfulness over all that time.  He has truly been my "wraparound presence."  I'm so grateful!

This week has been a roller coaster one - up and down.  One day I'll have lots of energy.  The next day I'll have no energy.....I'm like a limp, wet rag.  I've learned to listen to my body and go with what it's saying to me.  I have so much I want to do, but some days it's not possible to do much of anything.

The one constant thing for me is that I'm grateful to be alive.  My doctor calls it a miracle, and I think she's right.  After all I've been through in recent years, I'm so thankful for life itself......even on my weak days.  The Lord carries me.  He is my strength.

With American Thanksgiving next week, I've been thinking of all the things I'm thankful for.  There are many!

-  As I said, I'm thankful for life itself.

-  I'm thankful for my family and friends who walk with me on this journey.  They have been so supportive.  I'm thankful for the modern communication that allows us to be in touch even through scattered all over the world. 

-  I'm thankful for our home.  It's such a blessing - my retreat.  Even though I spend so much time here because of my isolation, I never get tired of it.  I think one reason is because of the lovely ocean view I have.  It's ever-changing, and always reminds me of God's awesome creation.

-  I'm thankful for all of those who pray for me.  It gives me a sense of security, comfort and hope.

-  I'm thankful for meal delivery.  My cooking days are over!  During the pandemic many wonderful cooks opened up home based meal delivery.  It's wonderful!

-  I'm thankful for a good doctor who has walked with me on my cancer journey.  She's just a phone call away, and has been so supportive.

-  I don't drive a lot, but I'm thankful for my 21 year old car that is still in good shape and will probably serve me the rest of my years.  It was a miracle how I got it, and has been such a wonderful provision.

-  I'm thankful that winter is over and we're having lovely spring days. :)

The list could go on and on.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Most of all I'm thankful for God's goodness and mercy to me.  He has been so faithful day in and day out.  I sense His presence with me.  I don't feel alone, or lonely.  He is my strength and grace, my help, my counselor, my provider, my protector.  I couldn't make it without Him.

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.  Nahum 1:7

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save."  Zephaniah 3:17

"For in Him we live and move and have our being."  Acts 17:28

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope."  Psalm 130:5

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11