Yesterday, in church, my cousin, who is the youth pastor, shared about having Hope for Today.
Proverbs 13:12 (New International Version, ©2011)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
His words re-iterated what God has been teaching me in this past year.
To get your grip back on hope:
1) You have to be PATIENT as you purse Him & not JUST your desires.
2) You need to remember the PROMISE that God has given to us through Abraham -- the blessing of being His descendants
3) You must cling to the anchor of your soul -- the PERSON of Jesus, the hope, the High Priest, the intercessor.
He gave a great example that resonated with me. You don't get married {hopefully} JUST to have children. You get married because you are crazy in love and want to spend the rest of your life with someone. Children are the overflow, the fruit, the blessing of that love.
That is how our relationship with God needs to be. We want to BE with Him because we love Him & He loves us and to spend all of eternity with Him. Everything else is just the overflow.
With this hope in mind....I continue to count and to share my multitude of gifts.....
Gratitude - a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, as for gifts or favours;
the state of feeling grateful
#191 - 2 for $20 deal at Ruby Tuesdays
#192 - sharing that with my best friend
#193 - eating 9 oz steaks for that awesome price - YUM!
#194 - my goddaughter smiling at me
#195 - heart-to-heart chats, sifting through the chaff, but holding onto the wheat
#196 - catching up with a youth group girlfriends
#197 - taking snapshots of beautiful women
#198 - NEW Bible reading plan
#199 - the possibility of open doors
#200 - how much my husband loves & enjoys his job
#201 - God reminding me to love like He does
#202 - choosing to give grace, whether I receive it or not
#203 - babysitting my goddaughter for the first time
#204 - watching her wiggle and laugh and squirm
#205 - holding her sweet little baby self
I have joined The Gratitude Community -- a place to be inspired by others and what God is doing in their lives, a chance to share my own journey of gratitude, and an opportunity to REMEMBER to be grateful in ALL things. So on Mondays, I will add to my list of 1000 gifts of all the graces God has provided in my life. Would you consider joining me? Even if you don't blog, you can join the gratitude community by starting a gratitude journal, mentionning your gifts on Facebook, or sending e-mails to your friends. Let's work together to help in creating a more thankful, joyous world!!
