Being Thankful

Perspective? Check!

So my van did this thing yesterday.
I was at the gas station and had just started filling the tank when the pump suddenly shut off. Not thinking much of it, I set the little trigger thing again and intended to finish filling the tank.
But it quickly stopped again.
At which point I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes as I recalled last winter.
Yes. Last winter when I thought there was something frozen in the gas line because I could never put in more than a few drops of gasoline at a time. (OK, I'm exaggerating. But that's how it felt!) Seriously, though, it was frustrating. Pump for two or three seconds, stop. Remove nozzle and reinsert. (Because there seemed to be a *slight* increase in the pumping time with this action.)
And repeat.
Twenty times.
Or until you're (1) too cold to continue or (2) too frustrated to continue.
Then spring came and suddenly everything worked perfectly again. And I chalked it up to something-was-too-cold. And I forogt all about it.
Until yesterday.
Indeed, yesterday I wanted to immediately text Brian a message saying something like,

OMGee!!! Not again!
It isn't even that cold today and the van is having fueling issues again.
I do NOT want to do this all winter!!!

But, alas, I was on my way to get grocery shopping done, and that rant text message was forgotten.
The inconvience was not forgotten, though. Thus when the opportunity presented itself last night, I complained about my gas-filling-hardships - quite dramatically - while Brian puzzled at what the problem might be. And as I was wrapping up my case for how my life might not be live-able this winter if this nuisance persists, I suddenly realized how ridiculous I must sound.
When I consider my life in comparison to most of the rest of the world, I must admit that I don't even know what hardship is. Oh, dear. I might have to stand in the cold five minutes longer than usual so I can put gasoline into my vehicle - which has heat inside, and music, and comfortable seats, and room for my entire family, and which will take me virtually anywhere I want to go - any time I want to go there. With it I can bring groceries home, visit family who live far away (or near), travel easily to work and church and any other place. I can do so many things which I couldn't do if my only option was walking. But, oh, the burden of filling it with gasoline.
Ahhhh, yes. Sometimes I need to be reminded to count my blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This quote is currently featured on the sign of a local church.
Good food for thought today!!!

We don't need more to be thankful for.

We need to be thankful more.

Give Thanks

When a Home Makeover Becomes a Heart Makeover

If you see me babying my right arm, don't worry. I'm OK.
You see, I did a lot of painting yesterday. And since I am not ambidextrous - well - my right arm got quite a workout. So it's a little sore now.
But so worth it!
Yeah, because in addition to good progress being made on the house we're getting ready to sell - oh, did God use that time to continue His good work in my heart.
See, the thing is, I wasn't actually excited about going over to the house to paint. That is, I would have rather done just about anything else. I mean the house is dirty, no one else would be there to make the work seem like it was going faster, I'm always cold when I'm there, I was doing just fine taking care of laundry and other chores in the comfort of my home, and - quite frankly - I really didn't feel like getting paint all over myself. (Always happens, no matter how careful I am...)
But guilt had the last say, and I left what I'd rather to do accomplish what I ought to do.
There. I said it.
Anyway, as I was painting I received a text message from an organization for which I pray. The text was to alert me to pray for emergency housing for two very young children and their mother who are facing immediate homelessness. So in my heart I was suddenly joined by a frightened and desperate family, and I began praying for them. And after a couple of hours of painting and praying, I packed up and started for home. That is, I lugged the vacuum cleaner down the stairs, turned the heat down (Yeah, that part about always being cold when I'm over there? Easily fixed by cranking up the thermostat.) and made a couple trips to the van to load everything up.
The back and forth outside got me quite chilly again, so I turned up the heat in the van - and that was just about the time God's Spirit got through to mine.
It was as if He said, Do you realize what you just did, dear? It was so easy for you to solve your problem of being cold. I acknowledged that it was, indeed, easy. And then He brought that family back to my mind. The one I'd been praying for while I was begrudgingly painting the house I didn't want to paint. The one who currently doesn't have a home. Who probably would be delighted to stay in that house - in spite of the mess, and the need for new carpet, and the in-the-midst-of-repair-walls-which-also-need-paint, and the chill in the air. Because the furnace works, and makes the house toasty.
My very next thought was the recognition that I am way more fortunate than I realize. I was driving my van across town from the house I used to live in to the one in which I currently live. I was driving - not walking, or taking a bus, or looking for a ride - and I was warmed by the heater, and I had ingredients waiting for me at home with which I would make dinner for my family. My family - which may be imperfect, and may have struggles, but we're healthy and we're together. I have the resources to buy gas for my van, the physical ability to climb on chairs to paint high places - not to mention the ability to lug a vacuum cleaner up and down stairs, from one house to the other. Yeah, and I have a really great vacuum cleaner. Even that's got a wonderful God-story behind it!
In my moment of clarity I began to understand that God was willing my thankfulness and gratitude into being. I had been wallowing in a pit of woe-is-me, I-have-to-do-work-I-don't-want-to-do and was fully neglecting my need to be thankful.
(And, yes, I believe it is a need.)
Because when I'm rolling around in self-pity all of my focus in on me, my troubles, and how "bad" I have it. But when I start being thankful my gaze shifts upward. I start looking at God and recognizing how generously He has provided for me. When I give thanks to God, I am reminded of His faithfulness - and I remember no matter what I have, or do not have, God is good.

Oh, how I want to live with a thankful heart. Every moment of every day.
Because God is good. All the time!

Cold Water Isn't Such a Big Deal

So, Saturday morning I stood outside my shower for longer than usual.
It always takes a while for the hot water to make it to my bathroom, so waiting is not out of the ordinary. But as time passed I got tired of the delay and just hopped in - knowing it would warm up, eventually.
Except, it didn't.
Rather, it got colder.
As in, I only had the water on to get wet and rinse. No way was I going to STAND under that cold water. BRRRRR!
Later that morning as I was complaining to telling Brian about my shower, I learned that his had only been lukewarm. And Matthew piped up that his was also cold.
Hmmmmmm. Problem with the water heater?
Brian checked it out and re-lit the pilot light, figuring he would get to replacing the thermocouple Sunday. And for a little while we had warm water again.

As this was all going down, and the boys were none too happy about the prospect of a less-than-hot shower Sunday morning, I tried to help them with their perspective. I said, "Imagine how thankful Muthiani would be to have a house with a shower in it - even if the water wasn't hot!" (Muthiani is a little boy in Kenya whom we sponsor through Compassion International.) I continued unsuccessfully offering bits of wisdom to improve their mindsets - but, honestly? I was also not looking forward to my shower the next morning.
In fact, when Sunday morning came around and I turned on the shower (and waited) with no sign of even lukewarm water - I changed my plans. Washing up and shampooing my hair in the sink would have to suffice. It was entirely too cold of a day to stand in a cold shower. Besides, Brian would get to replacing the thermocouple in the afternoon - and all would be well again.
Except, when the thought-it-was-broken part was replaced, the problem wasn't fixed. And we were back at square-one. Brian, feeling defeated. And both of us disappointed that we were going to have to hire a professional to come in and fix the trouble. Because we're super cheap and we prefer to do our own work when possible.
Annnnnd, the boys. They were not happy, either.

Monday morning found me with a plastic tub and a kettle of boiling water heading into my bathroom. I made a mixture of boiling and cold water to suit myself and stood in the shower doing my best to quickly shave my legs and wash up. All the while aware - while the water was warm, my wet skin left me feeling rather chilled. After drying my body I knelt on the floor, leaned into the shower stall, and washed my hair with what was left of the warm water. Y'all, my posture was neither becoming nor comfortable. Somehow, I didn't think even Muthiani would be happy with this set-up.
But I got the job done, and finished getting ready.

Upon sitting down to eat my breakfast - while silently congratulating myself for making it through my troublesome morning without complaint - I opened my computer to check in with Facebook. It was on my church's prayer page that I read about a family who'd been in an auto accident Saturday. One daughter was killed, the mother is in a coma, the other daughter has been traumatized by the event, and the family is not trusting in God.
I bowed my head to pray for them, and let it hang a little longer as I thought, So the water's cold. At least the house is warm. And I have warm clothes to wear. So, we have to call a plumber. Thank God we have the money to pay for it. My kids are well, I am healthy, and I know the God of the universe loves me. How can I possibly be grumble about my circumstance? I don't even know what it's like to experience trouble!

Perspective checked?
Check!

God Came to My Pity Party

Sunday afternoon I was making some Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread. (One of the requests from certain men in my household is: Now that I have "more time" because I am not "working", would I please make those yummy breads I used to make?)
So, I was making the bread.
I had two loaves in the oven and was sitting in the adjacent room while they baked. I don't know how long into the baking process is was, but at some point I heard an odd noise and then a buzzing coming from the oven. I walked into the kitchen to see what was going on and discovered the oven had turned off. It still had power - because the light came on when I opened it - but the control panel was completely dark and the oven wasn't generating any more heat.
Sooooo, I closed the door quickly and left the two loaves in the oven for a long time - hoping in vain that they'd finish baking. (Actually, the ends baked enough for one or two good slices and you could carve a slice off each side, but the middle was a gooey mess.)
And then, I sat down at my computer and thought of all the snarky, pity-me-please status updates I could post on Facebook so the whole world would know how inconvenient my life had just become.
I mean, really.

My oven wasn't working.

Never mind that I still had a working stove top and microwave. Never mind that I could go to the store and buy a yummy loaf of bread. Never mind that I could load my family up in the van and go out to dinner if I wanted to. Never mind any of that stuff. My oven was broken. And as a result, my life just got harder. And I thought the world should feel sorry for me. So I was going to come up with a clever status update to garner the sympathy I deserved.
But instead, I logged on and saw this picture which my friend had just posted along with this thought:
I was going to complain about my dishwasher breaking but then I saw this...and I remembered what it is so easy to forget...

And, boy, was I ever convicted of all I'd forgotten.

I don't recall inviting God to my pity party, but I am so glad HE came and reminded me of what's true.

I Have NEVER Fixed the Brakes

My bed gets made *almost* every day.
"My" bed, in which my husband also sleeps.
And often times that makes sense to me, because he gets up before I do - to go work out. I'm the last one out of bed, so I make it.
But that isn't always the case. Sometimes I'm up and out of the house before Brian, and when I get home the bed looks just like it did when I left.
Minus my husband's hunk of studly body, that is. *wink*
And so I confess, there has been more than one occasion when I have been making the bed after a long day of work (OK, I know - at that point there are only hours until it will be time for me to go to bed again and mess it all up. But I like a made bed. Don't judge.) and I have grumbled in my heart something like, Really? Why can't Brian ever make the bed? Is it written somewhere that bed-making is MY job? He sleeps in it, too, after all.
Typically, my grumbling gives in to a self-righteous mental rant of all the things I always do around the house and for the family. *cue the woe-is-me music*

As HE so often does, God gave me pause during one of those grumbling episodes for a brief perspective check. I'm not sure how it happened. (It certainly wasn't anything of MY doing, so I can only attribute it to the power of the Holy Spirit.) All I know is suddenly I was thinking about all the things Brian does do around here.
We just got new windows, and Brian took care of coordinating, ordering, and paying for that whole ordeal. He put up the Christmas lights outside. Whenever we have issues with the car or van, he always takes care of it. He's also my go-to guy whenever I'm having computer problems. These are not "every day" things like making the bed is, but they're bigger things - and I simply don't want to deal with them.
In as much time as it took for me to list off the things Brian does - which I DON'T do - God stopped my grumbling and changed my heart. HE gave me the ability to be thankful for all the things Brian does, rather than to focus on the things he doesn't.
And then, the funniest thing happened.
Last Friday I noticed the brakes on the van making a terrible noise. (I usually drive with music on, so I have no idea how long I'd been missing whatever was happening with the brakes.) I told Brian there was a problem and left the van home on Saturday so he could "look at it".
And Saturday afternoon he told me, "I fixed the brakes."
Just like that.
It was that easy!
All I had to do was mention the problem, and it was fixed.

Sunday morning as I was making the bed again, instead of grumbling I thought about how thankful I am for my husband. He does so much for me!

Being thankful is a much better place to be than grumbling. What are the things you have to be thankful for today?

Contentment

Monday night when we sat down to have family prayer time, Brian read from Hebrews 13.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have

Hebrews 13:5a

And we decided he could stop right there. Those 16 words gave us plenty about which we could think and talk!

We all agreed the "love of money" is not our personal struggle. But that "content with what you have" concept? Now, there's a challenge!
So we spent time talking about our greatest area of dis-content, and how we might be able to guard our hearts - so we might learn to always be content with what we have.
I recalled a statement I heard when I was in MOPS years ago. The speaker repeated over and over, "Comparison is the killer of contentment." It resonated with me then, and still rings true today.
Think about it:
*Your home is just fine - until you take a walk through that other neighborhood; where the houses are bigger, the yards are more manicured, and the fixtures are newer.
*Your wardrobe satisfies you - until you browse through several catalogs and see all the new items which marketing says you need.
*You're even happy with the quiet movie nights you spend with your husband - until your neighbor or co-worker tells you about the cruise she and her husband are taking again this year. Just like they did last year. And the year before that!

So we asked the question, If comparison is the killer of contentment, what can we do to keep contentment alive?
And the conclusion we reached was this: Give thanks for what we have.
Something very real happens in my heart when I start giving thanks. God brings me contentment, AND He opens my eyes to more things I have for which I can be thankful. It's a wonderful snow-ball effect of being content and thankful.
So, I've made a decision. The next time I start feeling discontent about working (because that was my "greatest area" in our discussion Monday night) I am going to give thanks to God. I'll start by thanking Him for providing me with a job I LOVE, and we'll see where HE takes me from there. I know it will be good. Because everything with Him is good!

Do you struggle with being content? What do you do to keep contentment alive?

Happy Thankful Day!

Give Thanks

Have you entered yesterday's give-away yet? If not, click here to do so! Then come back.
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Last week Elizabeth was fumbling around the kitchen, unable(?) to find something to pack for lunch. We had wheat bagels, but she only likes plain white ones. We had fixings for sandwiches, but she didn't want a sandwich. She opened the pantry door and closed it (hard), complaining, "We don't have any Ramen Noodles, either!"
At that moment, I looked up from my bowl of cereal and said, "Honey, we have quite a bit of food here. Maybe you ought to try being thankful for what we DO have, instead of being upset about what we DON'T have."
I looked back at my bowl and noticed the strawberries in it. And I thanked God for them. Just a few minutes earlier, I was disappointed because there were only two strawberries left in the container. But now I realized I needed to give thanks.
Then I thanked God for a house to live in, and breakfast to eat. For kids who are healthy enough to plod around the kitchen and complain about having 'nothing to eat', and for the full pantry and refrigerator which tell a different story. I thanked God for loving me and for being patient with me. And I was reminded, once again, what a powerful thing it is to give thanks.

In the act of thanksgiving, God transforms my heart and renews my outlook, and I realize how truly blessed I am.

Thank You, JESUS!

Living Thankful

My friend Leah is being intentional about thankfulness. Living Thankful for 30 Days. I love that idea, so today I am linking up with her and focusing on being thankful, too.
It's kind of funny because yesterday - just moments before I read about Leah's thankful journey - I experienced the blessing of being thankful.
I had become very frustrated in the process of getting Matthew up and out the door. Pokey, pokey, pokey. How a person can move so slow and become so distracted, I will NEVER understand! But he made it to the bus stop on time and as I sat down to eat my breakfast I thanked God for that little miracle. I thanked Him for the quiet house and the moment of peace when I could be still. I thanked Him for His faithfulness and goodness to me. I found myself thanking Him for more things which kept coming to my mind. And then I realized something.
I was no longer irritated and full of frustration.
And I think that is the blessing of being thankful. As we focus on God's faithfulness to us; as we look for the things in our lives which are good; as we bless God's heart by giving thanks to Him, HE blesses us by changing ours.
I used to think it was rather hypocritical to try being thankful in the middle of frustration, but now I see things differently. God is good whether my circumstances are making me happy, or not. And when I give thanks, God - in His goodness - changes me.
Indeed, Living Thankful is the way to go!

On Thankfulness

Ah, my friends. I have been struggling.

Struggling with 'getting it right' at work.

Struggling with my attention challenged boys at home.

Struggling with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

Monday night I cried myself to sleep. And that was a good thing. I had been holding back the tears for too long, and they had to come out.
In spite of the head ache and puffy eyes Tuesday morning, I really did feel better; physically. As in, I didn't feel as though my eyes were about to burst with tears anymore. I told my husband, "I think it's all out!"

But there was still the emotional/spiritual side of things to deal with, and God took me there in His good time.
One of my co-workers tried to convince me that I need to learn to 'love what you hate.' She did a pretty good sales job, but I wasn't in the buying mood. However, she did get me to think about finding reasons to be thankful even in the midst of the struggle.
Which reminded me of this post which Dori wrote about thankfulness. And I knew I needed to embrace thankfulness, rather than the struggle.
Then Tuesday night I read this post in which Ginny turned her trials into reasons to be thankful.
And I thought, That's it! I am going to turn this struggle around. I'm going to turn my eyes upon Jesus! I am going to choose to be thankful right here in the midst of my struggle. Not because I enjoy the trial, but because I trust my Savior.

Soooo, today I am thankful. Thankful in the middle of the struggle.

I am thankful for the job I have. I am thankful that I can work as unto the LORD - that I do not have to work for the approval of man, rather that I can do it all for Him.

I am thankful for my two crazy, un-focused sons. I am thankful that God created them perfectly, and for a purpose. I am thankful that He will bring His good work to completion in them - in His perfect timing. I am thankful that God is using my struggles with my boys to refine me, and make me into the woman He created me to be.

I am thankful that it isn't up to me to become adequate, or 'enough.' Rather, by His grace, mercy, and power, God will make me enough and I can trust Him. I am so very, very thankful that nothing in my life is about me and my ability. It's all about HIM. All.of.it!

Ahhhhh. Thank You, JESUS!

Are you struggling today? Try turning it into thankfulness. You'll be amazed at how it changes everything.