"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." ~Willie Nelson
The holiday season is upon us, and we have so many reasons to be grateful today. This past Sunday, I attended a church that I had never been to before, and the message was on gratitude. Gratitude not only in the sense of being thankful for certain things in our lives, but gratitude manifesting itself in every aspect of who we are as human beings.
Gratitude means humility.
Gratitude means compassion.
Gratitude means courage.
Gratitude means selflessness.
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Thanking the Lord for everything that He has provided you is merely the first step to being infused and fulfilled with gratitude. His only Son was slain for our salvation, for our sins, for our sake. Jesus is the perfect example of gratitude; what a respectable and honorable deed He did on that cross. I don't know about you, but sometimes it's really difficult to see past the present situation and into the future of what God has for us. Our lives become so encapsulated in how others can serve us, how others can please us, and never about how we can do that for them. It's easy to be selfish. Am I right?
Today, I am thankful for the rescue mission that Christ ventured on for me. He knew me before I even had an idea of Him, and three years ago, I was given a life-changing opportunity that would shape me into the woman I am currently. I am thankful for the brokenness that I was pulled out from, that my family and I endured together. Darkness can be so blinding, but the light is even brighter.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." (Psalm 107:1)
What are you thankful for today? How are you practicing the art of gratitude?
Blissful blessings and gobble gobble,
Amy :)
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Weary and Burdened
This week has been very heavy on my heart. Not only were there certain events that impacted my university campus, but it was especially trying and workload-heavy in regards to classes and scheduling out the next four years of my life. Talk about anxiety-inducing, right?
Sometimes, straining to hear the voice of God is hard. Imagine walking around your day-to-day life with a white transparent sheet over your head, hindering you from clearly discerning what objects and people are on the other side of the sheet, but still able to make out distinct shapes and forms. That's what a relationship with Jesus is like. The path that He calls you on is ahead of you, and you know to put one foot in front of the other in order to continue, but you're not entirely sure where that path is leading.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
What does walking with Jesus look like? For one, to walk is to stride along at a level, even pace. It's calm, it's cool, it's collected. There's no rush to advance to the next destination. There's not a lacking of motivation or energy. Walking with Jesus is similar to walking alongside a dear friend whom you wish to carry a conversation with, giving and taking. It's intentional and purposeful. It's thoughtful and considerate.
A relationship with God is a two-way street. Many times, it becomes to easy to leave God behind in the dust and take our situations into our own hands. We compartmentalize God. "I'll give this disagreement with a loved one up to you, God, but I think I'll keep my anger to myself." There are a plethora of situations that we experience where our faith in Christ is not wholehearted or thorough; rather, we claim that we can fix the issues that trouble us without Him. That's where things begin to fall apart.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
This verse has been on my heart all week, mainly because Christ Himself states that He will give us rest. He is our provider, He is our refuge, He is our home in which we make our dwelling. God will never force or coerce us into anything, but He will simply guide us as we give him our time and our space. Like a loving parent who wants the best for their child, their actions stem from their investment and compassion. God would do anything for us, seeing as He already sacrificed His own son on our behalf.
Going into a mid-November weekend where the temperature is below freezing every morning and the promise of winter is right around the corner, realize that God is walking with you. He demands to know more about you, about your life story and your heart. He wants to look into your eyes and be captivated by your emotions and thoughts. God believes that you are valuable and worthy, and He is willing to hold your hand as you continue to put one foot in front of the other.
Blissful blessings,
Amy :)
Sometimes, straining to hear the voice of God is hard. Imagine walking around your day-to-day life with a white transparent sheet over your head, hindering you from clearly discerning what objects and people are on the other side of the sheet, but still able to make out distinct shapes and forms. That's what a relationship with Jesus is like. The path that He calls you on is ahead of you, and you know to put one foot in front of the other in order to continue, but you're not entirely sure where that path is leading.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)
What does walking with Jesus look like? For one, to walk is to stride along at a level, even pace. It's calm, it's cool, it's collected. There's no rush to advance to the next destination. There's not a lacking of motivation or energy. Walking with Jesus is similar to walking alongside a dear friend whom you wish to carry a conversation with, giving and taking. It's intentional and purposeful. It's thoughtful and considerate.
A relationship with God is a two-way street. Many times, it becomes to easy to leave God behind in the dust and take our situations into our own hands. We compartmentalize God. "I'll give this disagreement with a loved one up to you, God, but I think I'll keep my anger to myself." There are a plethora of situations that we experience where our faith in Christ is not wholehearted or thorough; rather, we claim that we can fix the issues that trouble us without Him. That's where things begin to fall apart.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
This verse has been on my heart all week, mainly because Christ Himself states that He will give us rest. He is our provider, He is our refuge, He is our home in which we make our dwelling. God will never force or coerce us into anything, but He will simply guide us as we give him our time and our space. Like a loving parent who wants the best for their child, their actions stem from their investment and compassion. God would do anything for us, seeing as He already sacrificed His own son on our behalf.
Going into a mid-November weekend where the temperature is below freezing every morning and the promise of winter is right around the corner, realize that God is walking with you. He demands to know more about you, about your life story and your heart. He wants to look into your eyes and be captivated by your emotions and thoughts. God believes that you are valuable and worthy, and He is willing to hold your hand as you continue to put one foot in front of the other.
Blissful blessings,
Amy :)
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