Sunday, April 11, 2010

In Everything Give Thanks

This morning I awoke with a real attitude of dissatisfaction.  I had a difficult night with a lot of neck and arm spasms that kept me awake.  In the morning nothing that was done was right - at least as far as I was concerned.  Then at 2pm Laverne and Pastor Ian arrived.  Ian shared that what was wrong with our response to hard times is the inability to give thanks.  Paul wrote in I Thessalonions 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances.  Although this seems crazy it does work.  Please pray that I regain a thankful heart as so many have done so much for me and are working hard to get me home.
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. KathyApril 12, 2010 at 9:06 AM

    Thank you John for sharing your heart with us. I agree wholeheartedly. It is sometimes so difficult to be thankful, but it is only when we see beyond our dissatisfaction and be thankful for all that God has done that we can receive his joy. This is my prayer for you.
    God bless,
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 12, 2010 at 10:08 AM

    Thank you John!!! I really needed to hear that today. Emma is not sleeping well these days and I am soooo tired. I have had a few things on my mind lately as we have been sick and I had a car accident, etc. I was feeling sorry for myself this morning as I drove to work - wondering why God wants me to struggle. Thank you for reminding me to be grateful for all that I have. What a great lesson for today.

    I still really want to get in an see you and Laverne - especially to thank you for how much you have touch my life since your accident. I suppose when the time is right it will happen - and maybe that isn't supposed to be until you are back in PR..

    Ginny

    ReplyDelete
  3. AlexaApril 12, 2010 at 1:42 PM

    Hoping you are feeling better today and pray that this day is a wonderful day for you. I give thanks that you are a presence in our lives and inspire everyone around you to try harder.
    Prayers and Love
    Don and Alexa

    ReplyDelete
  4. kittyApril 12, 2010 at 4:53 PM

    I read a story about from someone who started a "grateful" book. She went back into her life and recounted everything she could be gratefull for. What she found that all the things she thought had been really bad, actually brought her to a place where they could be seen as blessings. Showing her how much she had grown into a woman of character.

    I am not saying that you will ever grow into a woman of character, John :), but I know that when we just start with the process, we get to places we never thought we would, and the blessings would keep us from being thankless.

    We have many things to be thankful for. Sometimes it is hard to see a them through a forest of problems, but when we start to focus on little things, suddenly there are more than we ever thought there were.

    I am grateful every morning when I can stand under a nice hot stream, I am grateful I have enough clothes so that I can put on many layers to stay warm. I am grateful for my old puppy-dog who loves me no matter what. I am grateful for the family I have and the friends that I have accumulated over the years and I am grateful for you and Laverne.

    I am grateful for this blog and your willingness to share all your struggles, it helps put things in perspective and it helps me to stay close to the Lord

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)