As we bring Thanksgiving to a close and I sit here during the early morning hours thinking about all I'm thankful for I find it so hard to make a list - there are just SO many things! All of you know that at the very top, my families health would reign supreme. I am beyond thrilled to have won the battle against that dragon! But it's really not what I find myself thinking on constantly this year believe it or not. We had such a whirlwind that I don't wait till November to count my blessings - I count them each and everyday and health is a blessing that never is overlooked.
But lately I find myself being thankful, so thankful, for the painful journeys of life. Kind of odd, huh? I can't even fathom going through another family illness or losing someone close to me or some of the other tough things in life - but it's been in those moments that I've sensed and felt God's presence wrapped around every inch of my being more than ever. God is with me daily and I'm surround by him but I can't accurately describe how his presence becomes so much more available, accessible and tangible during those heart aching times. And instead of feeling weak like I might collapse during those times, instead God strengthens me and gives me a dose of his supernatural power to withstand whatever is happening. And that's what he does for each of us when we let him. That's those moments when you look back and say, I have no clue how I got through that except by the grace of God! I'm not saying go looking for hardships - heck no! You can find God in the everyday beauty of life, but if you are going through hell and back right now, know that you are in the perfect spot to have the Creator of the universe wrap his arms around you and carry you through it! I look back at those moments in life now and although I in no way ever want to revisit, relive or re-experience any of them, I look back and I see such BEAUTY. I see an exotic flower growing out of the cracked arid soil of the sweltering desert sand.
I see Jehovah Shammah- The Lord is there!
I could write out a list a mile long but I'm most thankful for my beauty from ashes and the constant presence of my Father God in my life. I pray that as we continue in this holiday season that we are able to seek out His beauty, His will and His amazing purpose for our lives as He seeks to find our hearts in this busy world.
