What I know...

Here's what I know today. I'm tired, unbelievably so. I have a runny nose, and I'm not sure if it's from my allergies or the start of the cold. The latter would be very poor timing considering my stomach flu two weeks ago. My husband is on vacation this week, yet I've had no time to spend with him and I won't be home again tonight. My boss is MIA and work is more chaotic and uncertain than ever. It's freezing in my office, enough so that I feel the need to mention something so superficial. I still have to finish my online traffic school, which I know if my own fault but the first 2 of 6 modules bored me to near unconsciousness. I feel heavy with guilt for not blogging as often as I committed to myself and God, even though I'm 100% certain that God isn't holding it against me...that's all on me.

Here's what I know to be even better truths. It's lunch time and I know a warm walk will improve both my mood and physical well-being. My husband made it home safe from drag racing last night, and my anxious heart is now calm once more. It's almost the weekend--a HOLIDAY weekend at that--so I'll have plenty of time to spend with my husband and our families. I get to see my best friend this weekend for her son's second birthday! Work is just that...work, and it will still be here next week or God has something better planned for me. It's admittedly more peaceful in the office with my boss MIA, even if it does cause other frustrations. There isn't much I can do about the temp in my office or traffic school, but I trust the Lord to give me the time and energy to power through. God came through and provided a means for an outstanding hospital bill that we didn't have the money to pay. Tonight I get to volunteer at a girls group foster home, and I'm delighted to have some new volunteers stopping by to check out the ministry. God has laid on my heart to start doing the good ol' SOAP style bible study/journaling again, and I'm excited to break in my pretty new journal (simple pleasures). A Hobby Lobby opened in Morgan Hill! Okay so that last one doesn't directly affect my spiritual walk, but it's definitely lent to a rekindling of my creative juices...along with Pinterest.

My point is the Lord is faithful. He guides. He provides. He heals. My list of today's "problems" is small when compared side-by-side to my list of today's blessings.

Don't Be a Martha

I'm thankful today for Lord's sustaining strength, for His faithfulness when my own heart doubts, for His acceptance and grace when I turn back to Him--continually, daily.

In the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus asks Martha to quit playing hostess, to ignore the mundane tasks that she is distracted by and stressed out over, and to sit at His feet as Mary does and just listen. Be still.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

How easy it is to get distracted by the day to day worries? There are a multitude of tasks to distract us from it is truly important. Daily stresses that raise our blood pressure and frustrate us to tears. Yet the best part is that Jesus wants us to turn to Him with ALL of those cares--big and small. We were never intended to carry them alone.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Praise Him in the Morning (even if you aren't a morning person)

"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 59:16

I am NOT a morning person.

It's just a simple fact. 

My husband goes to work incredibly early and I remain cuddled under the blankets for as long as possible. I would love if I could change this about myself. Who wouldn't like to have a few extra hours in the day to get things done? Yet for all my efforts to change I remain stuck in a routine of rushing through the mornings--always running late, always feeling stressed. 

Sometimes it's really hard to praise God in the midst of the morning rush, when my mind is focused on the dread of a long commute and a stressful work day ahead. Most mornings I grumble to myself and wish for it to be Saturday already.

Today, however, I took a different approach. I still slept later than I should have, and I'll confess right now that I did in fact miss my morning workout. oops! BUT, I made an effort to pray through everything I was doing and to focus on the blessings around me. You know what? I have a lot to be thankful for. 

While I struggle daily with the fact that we don't have children yet, I'm blessed beyond words to wake up to these two beautiful faces every morning.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing these sweeties into my life. They show me unconditional love every morning. Okay, so maybe it is conditional. They're infinitely more cuddly after they've been fed.

And while I'm always a little bummed that my husband is already gone when I wake up, I'm thankful that he takes the time each morning to kiss my groggy self goodbye and leaves me a daily love note by the coffee machine. aww!

Thank you, Lord, for the simple things that get me through my mornings. 

I am loved and blessed beyond measure.

One Thousand Gifts

I'll be starting the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp this week. Have you read it? It's been on my "to-be-read" list for some time now. Check out the trailer for the book here:

Where is the Lord? Chronicling God's blessings in the midst of turmoil.

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. While I love the idea of a new start, a blank page, a fresh canvas, it's far too easy to let real life come sneaking back in and push aside our good intentions. Unused gym memberships, anyone?

That being said, at the beginning of 2012, specifically on Sunday, January 2nd when our pastor preached the New Year's sermon, the Lord began to speak to me about counting my blessings and praising Him in the midst of turmoil. It's a theme that I've seen repeated in my life throughout the year.

Which leads me here--to creating this blog and sharing what the Lord has laid on my heart.

It's easy to question the Lord's presence in my life when I'm only focused on my problems right now. The negative has a way feeling like it far out weighs the positive when you're in the thick of it.

And I'm definitely in the thick of it. Stuck in the mud and muck that is life sometimes. I'm struggling right now with some big ones--financial burdens, infertility, my husband's back injury, work stress, and the possibility of losing my job--to name a few.

But does that mean that God has abandoned me or doesn't care about my situation? No. Of course not. And I know that, but how do I stay focused on that simple truth? In the past, I've found that keeping a journal is an awesome way to see God's hand at work in my life. I've been praying, and I feel compelled to put this out into the world for whatever purpose God may have to use it for, if only to remind you all that we truly are blessed.

I am going to chronicle my blessings from God in a blog. Hopefully daily. Just simple pictures and notes of everything I can think of and everything that He reminds me of captured as evidence of His perfect grace, mercy, faithfulness, and love. I will strive to praise him continually through the everyday trials of life. I know I am blessed in an infinite number of ways that I just need constant reminding of, so I will bless, praise, and worship the Lord in return.