I should start off by saying I thank God for all of my blessings each day, but being human I don't always recognize all of my blessings. Recently, Andrew and I have been experiencing some hard times in our family, but God has been our guide, our faith, our strength, our comfort, our everything really. He has sent the right words to be said by the right people at the right times, which has created comfort and constantly renewed our faith in him. God has been speaking to us in so many ways, and I cannot thank Him enough. I know that even in a time of focusing on all the small things I take for granted, I am still missing things. However, I am trying to make a conscious effort to be more thankful for all of the blessings I do have and find the good in every situation, no matter how hard. I have seen others in my life struggle and question God's goodness and faithfulness when they themselves were struggling, and while I understand those feelings when things are hard, it's something I do not want to experience. Although, I am human, I want to always remember, especially in the face of tragedy and difficult times, that He is with me, He loves me, and He has greater plans for me (and for those in our family). I was told by a dear Christian friend that she was proud of my strength and faith, and I cannot express how much that touched my heart, to know that it reflected in me, so thank you! ;) I know that God is working through me, through Andrew, through our family members, and through our friends supporting us, so even in the storm, I will praise him, much easier said than done, but He is constantly making it easier.
God has been speaking to me a lot this week, our pastor's message last week was "It's not about me!" He said basically when we get agitated, mad, aggravated, etc it's because someone or something is inconveniencing us; I never thought of it that way, but it's true. So this week when things have gotten to me or I've been a situation that would normally aggravate me a little, I have been convicted and he's said to me, It's not about you Alex, and I've listened. It's made things much less stressful (not that I stress much-I've learned how to move past that), but still remembering that it's not about me has truly helped me. Now I have still struggled and will continue to fall short, but I am going to try to make an effort to keep that in mind. Last night picking up dog toys and some stuff from Andrew and myself, I thought, I clean this stuff up every day, and God hit me and said, "Be thankful you have a house to clean up and pick up in everyday, some people do not have a home at all." Can we say WOW?
So I think my perspective has changed, and I hope it stays this way. I feel like I am more joyful, even in just 1 week (but a lot has happened this week). When I am experiencing a situation to complain, I am not saying I won't, but I am trying to be more thankful for things that I can be thankful for, even if things are annoying. Is this going to last everyday? probably not, but I sure hope God continues to speak to me and blow my mind as I venture down this path with Him. I feel stepping more into the Bible has truly transformed some things for me, and I would not be as strong today without Him, His word, or His promises. I wouldn't have been able to get through this week without Him; neither of us would, we couldn't have done it alone.
We have also been reading our Bible everyday since 1-6-13, we haven't skipped (well Andrew fell asleep one night early, but made it up the next day), and we've been doing our church's bible study of John together. First, we read, reflect, and answer individually, then we discuss together afterwards, and it's been great! Every day we are looking forward to it, and we are putting it first, we usually do it when it's time for bed or at the end of the day, but we've been holding one another accountable to make sure it's completed. Perry (our pastor) was right, 21 days makes it a habit, and we're excited for this habit. I cannot see going back, and I know it will be hard to keep it up, but I hope we continue. Also, we have an Acts Bible study that is 28 days (1 chapter a day) to complete starting tomorrow; we finish John today!
To God be the Glory. He is good, all the time.
I found a note written by my Daddy from a few years ago, it said "Always remember...do everything like you're doing it for God and please him first, then secondly take care of yourself, everything else will take care of itself." How right he is, so glad I have him as an example. I am glad that throughout my life I have had numerous family members & friends to show me God's love and teach me about Him, I cannot thank those people enough.
I am truly blessed.
Here's the sermon that started it all: http://newspring.cc/series/love-revolution/its-not-about-me1/
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