Be Still

If I pause to listen, I will hear it. If I pause to notice, I will see it.

Sunlight on grass and leaves

Birds singing

Morning breeze

Varieties of beautiful plants, flowers, and trees

Thank You, God, for Your gifts!

My cat Espresso and her five cute kittens’ small voiced mews

Robin on green grass

Light dancing on the wood pile

Eyes to see

My warm, cosy robe against crisp morning air

Pretty tray with my breakfast and coffee on it

Bright colours

Thank You, God, for my health today.

Thank You for Your infinite, beyond-my-understanding love!

Perennials in my yard from previous owner

Thank You, God, for my wonderful, understanding, forgiving, gracious husband.

Thank You for this quiet time outside!

Breeze in the trees rustling

Turtle dove’s mourn

Mango, sweet and sour, tasty, bright orange

Fire pit for family times

Thank You, God, for headache-free days, for discoveries of food that makes me feel well.

Robin’s alert—cat!

Grass so green—pristine—reminds of Ireland!

Hostas getting big

Coffee with hazelnut
Sun on a barn shed

Lines and character in an old hunk of wood

Do you see? Do you hear? 

Do you thank?

Nothing Changes... Yet Everything Changes...

Are you grateful for your life just as God has ordered it?

Sure, of course, I'm grateful. Right?

But am I really?

What if my family were taken away from me? Would I be grateful for the time I had with them?

What if my good health were removed? Would I be grateful for the relationships and tangible blessings still in my life?

You see, I've been thinking about gratefulness lately because I spent quite a few months this past year ungrateful and downright angry.

Yes, I'm not proud to say this, but I have to be honest. I was inwardly railing on God for things He allowed into my life this year. 

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! (Isa. 45:9)

I'll explain. I've never been a mom. For whatever reason, God never allowed me to give birth to my own baby. This, for years, was a source of pain to me. I would inwardly and later privately weep when I was caught in a group of women chatting merrily about childbirth and rearing children. I just could not understand why God had kept this from me when I desired children so much, having chosen names for three children when I was yet a very young adult. Actually as a teen, I had chosen one of these names, and it had never changed in my mind.

So, fast-forward to January 2011. One year ago. 


After a long road, I felt I finally worked through the emotions of never having my own baby, and actually began seeing some of the reasons why God had chosen not to give me a child of my own. I literally felt it leave my emotional plate, and I began to settle into married life, just enjoying the freedom of being a couple.

Then with one phone call, everything changed. Suddenly we had a little two-year-old full-time... in the middle of potty training! And I went from wife to full-time caregiver... actually parenting.

Well, I didn't appreciate it. After all, this isn't on my terms, God! 


This is a selfish statement, but I have heard it from other parents as well: 

I felt that all my freedom was taken. 

I once enjoyed hopping in the car and going to town whenever I liked. Now I have to work around morning and afternoon naps, and when I do go, I have to buckle-in-buckle-out a little tot at every stop. Every errand takes twice as long. I was not used to that.

And so, though I'm not proud of this, I admit I became angry and bitter.

This isn't fair!

Thankfully, God in mercy kept me from taking the anger out on this precious child, though I am not so naive to believe that she remained completely unaffected by my spirit of anger, and that saddens me!

Doest thou well to be angry? ~ God asked Jonah (Jonah 4:4)

After the dust settled from my ranting (when I actually became exhausted in my anger), God began to show me the blessing in the midst of the unpleasant. God, Who works all things together for good to those who love Him--for His purpose, not ours--began showing me the beautiful: His purpose.

Christ is the model upon which the Father is developing your life...   

(Henry Blackaby)

Every event that God allows into my life is for His purpose: conforming me to the image of His dear Son Jesus. That's what the verse after Romans 8:28 says. His purpose isn't some pie-in-the-sky idea that I can just back burner if I truly love Him. When you love someone, you want what they want. And God wants to make me like Jesus.

What does all this have to do with being grateful?

By God's patience and grace, I am learning that this is a mindset. I do not mean fake. I mean a choice. The Apostle Paul wrote to the  Colossians, "Set your affection on things above." (Col. 3:2)

On a side note: It saddens me also that with my affections set on getting my own way and reclaiming what I perceived to be my own freedom, I made things hard on my husband as well. We have all heard the phrase, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" We women do set the climate in our homes, like it or not. (Check out Courtney's convicting blog on being a porcupine wife!)

Choosing to be grateful for the good--embracing the good--causes the nasty somehow to become less so. God began to show me the beautiful in this situation when I chose gratefulness.

Once I chose to be grateful in this situation--to focus on the good, to embrace the beautiful, God-given opportunity--my emotions (eventually) no longer felt angry, resentful, bitter, and vindictive. I began to see that God, for an indefinite period, has given me a little girl to dress in frillies and do her hair, just as I dreamed. And I began to enjoy things again... things that I used to enjoy but I quit doing, because I thought I no longer enjoyed these activities. I began to actually enjoy the daily tasks of caring for a child, as well as daily household chores I thought I hated! Resentment is a horrible thief.


It's a daily choice: Gratefulness... Nothing changes... Yet everything changes!

I Corinthians 4:7

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? ~ I Corinthians 4:7

Everything we have in life is a gift. E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.


Nothing should taken for granted. I could lose my sight tomorrow. My hearing. My fingers that enjoy skipping across piano keys and harp strings. My voice that loves to sing.

http://pricelesssimplicity.blogspot.com/

Am I truly grateful? Have I thanked God for these instruments that I use every day, more than a thousand times a day?


A fellow blogger advocates keeping a running list of gratefulness... 1,000 Gifts. While I have not yet read Ann's book 1,000 Gifts, I am an occasional reader of her blog.

And I fell in love with her emphasis on gratefulness... So I join in...

1. A friend loses her baby. I still enjoy my little granddaughter every day.

Elaine Morie Bender, waiting in heaven

2. An acquaintance's spouse is about to go to jail. I have a wonderful, faithful man who loves and daily provides for me.


3. People around the world have no shelter... I enjoy the warmth of a fireplace on a frozen winter evening. They scrounge for food... I am warmed and filled. Their only clothes are on their back... I have a closetful.

Filipino boy starts his own fire.
(photo, Victoria Wonser, missionary in the Philippines)

4. Many around the world sleep outside because they have no bed or home. I have a warm bed with beautiful blankets I love.

Philippines graveyard:
Missionary friends saw a man sleeping here
and many living here in a graveyard.
(photo, Victoria Wonser)

5. A family of seven children including a newborn loses their mother at age 39. I am 39 and I can still call or email my own mother any time. 


What are you grateful for? 


Will you notice and give thanks for the thousands of gifts God has placed all around you?

Greatly Blessed

Greatly blessed and highly favoured,

Imperfect, but forgiven child of God!
©2010, William J. Gaither, Inc.





We are so blessed


By the gifts from Your hand


I just can't understand


Why You've loved us so much


We are so blessed


We just can't find a way


Or the words that can say


Thank You Lord for Your touch



We are so blessed


By the things You have done


The vict'ries we've won


And what You've brought us through


We are so blessed


Take what we have to bring


Take it all ev'rything


Lord we bring it to You



When we're empty
You fill us

'Til we overflow


When we're hungry


You feed us

And cause us to know


We are so blessed


Take what we have to bring


Take it all ev'rything


Lord we love You so much

©1982, William J. Gaither, Inc.

This is the song that played as I walked down the boardwalk at our beach wedding ceremony to marry my love nearly four years ago. 

We are still so blessed!

Grateful

The late Sara Frankl

Gitzen Girl

Sara has inspired me to learn to choose joy every day.

Sara faithfully shared her gratefulness to God in the midst of a terminal illness that kept her in constant pain for more than the last fourteen years of her life. She was honest, open, real. She, like Jesus, "learned obedience through the things which [s]he suffered."

I’ve learned to appreciate the simplicity in my moments. I’ve learned that being thankful in everything is more important than being thankful for something. I want to be grateful for everything in my life, not just the special moments. ~ Sara

Sara could not leave her home for years, due to the need for continuous purified air to keep her alive, and so she could not spend holidays with her family. She could not eat food brought to her from family gatherings, because she had so many food allergies that were deadly.

Yet Sara was grateful. Two years ago around Thanksgiving, she wrote about how thankful she was for the good things in her life.

I am simply grateful. I appreciate my life because it’s the one He has given to me, and I don’t want to waste a moment of it wishing for anything else. ~ Sara

Sara's acceptance of her illness from God's hand as His divine purpose for her, whether she understood it or not, is expressed in the following paragraphs. (Honestly, she sounds just like me in the first two paragraphs!)

I always believed I had that faith… but mine was a faith of conditions. I had faith He would take care of me, but I assumed that meant I would be cared for with good health. I had faith that I would prosper, and assumed that meant my career would follow a good path. I had faith that He wanted the best for me, and assumed that meant my life would unfold in a way I envisioned.

But as the years progressed and I lost more and more of what I thought defined me...I realized that being a servant meant all or nothing. A line was drawn in the sand and I had to choose my fear, or I had to choose to completely trust Him. It had to be an all or nothing choice because one cannot exist if the other is true.


I chose to trust, and I’ve never looked back. I can be tired, I can be frustrated by my circumstances and exhausted from the pain, but I am never fearful of what is to come because I know that He is in control. I have faith that He will take care of me, and He has given me fortitude and peace in my heart as I face the challenges my body inflicts on me. I have faith that I will prosper, and I have been blessed with plentiful friends who walk this journey with me. I have faith that He wants the best for me, and He shows me that daily by using my life in ways that serve others--being there in small ways I would never have been able to if my life had unfolded the way I envisioned...

If Jesus was a servant, if he lost everything to come to Earth in the form of a baby who had nothing more than love to give, why would I assume to deserve more? ~ Sara

Sara's doctrinal beliefs are far different than mine, but in the few articles I have read, she has taught me her one little word for 2011: Praise.

Sara is gone now, but her exhortation lives on. This Thanksgiving season, will you join me in the simple praise she modelled... by yielding yourself in new, tangible ways to the One Who knows best for you? ...The One Who has a purpose greater than your own plans? ...The One Who "will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"?

“The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally yielded to Him.” ~ D.L. Moody

Choosing Joy

Sara (pictured here with her dog Riley) is dying of a hereditary, autoimmune disease abbreviated AS, but as her blog proclaims, she is "choosing joy."

This is the most inspiring, convicting, and sobering thing I have read in awhile. She writes...

“How do you manage to stay so positive? So happy? Don’t you ever just get really mad?”

I suppose the cop out answer, while true, is that I just don’t have the energy to be mad. Seriously. It takes so much effort and energy to wallow. And it’s not any fun. I live 99.8% of my time alone, and if anger was all I had to live with I would lose my mind.

I think, for me, it has been about learning to want what He wants for me more than what I want for myself.It's a tall order and I don't say that flippantly. But my joy has truly come from Him finding His joy in me rather than me finding my joy in what I desire. It doesn't mean I don't long for different, it just means I find peace in fulfilling rather than understanding. In the knowledge that this life isn’t about me, it’s about Him.

The thing I try to remind myself of, as I am without all the things that I wish I had to make me happy, is that my biggest need is Him. More than I need to be outside in the fresh air, more than I need to move without pain, more than I even need Dad... I need His will to be done in my life whether it is comfortable or not. There is not one thing that feels comfortable about my world right now, but I need Him more than I need to change my circumstances.

It's still brutally hard. I have to remind myself of these facts every day. It doesn’t always come easily.

But it doesn’t make the truth any less true.

And the truth is that I can choose the joy.

So I do.

~ Sara at Gitzen Girl: Choose Joy blog, http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/

Update: Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2011...

Sara received information late yesterday afternoon that her body was beginning to shut down, and things have moved quickly since. Hospice arrived this morning and Sara is comfortable. Her family is surrounding her and reading her texts, facebook posts, and emails, so please feel free to contact her and share your love; she will not be able to reply but is taking great peace in your words, your heart.  I know how thankful she is for each of you, how much joy you’ve added to her days, and what purpose sharing Him has given her. I will continue to post as things change and want to thank each of you for the ways in which you have loved sweet Sara so well.

My Theme for 2011...

Yes, I'm late in the game. Better late than never, eh?

The Lord has been speaking to my heart about one main thing in the past few months and has brought my focus onto one word: gratefulness.

In past years I have kept a Gratitude Journal, but I needed something more visual to remind me. I have a wipe-off board on my fridge. I have used it for chore lists, notes, reminders, and everything in between. This past week, however, I began using it for a new thing. I wrote at the top: "Grateful..." And I am endeavouring to write something for which I am grateful every day. It's just another way I can act upon what God is prompting in my heart--and a method in which I can get my family involved as well!

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" ~ Psalm 107:9

What's your praise today?

Tomorrow--Love It or Fear It?

NOTE: To listen to this video, you will need to scroll to the bottom of this page and pause the automatic music player.

Have you been slammed with yet another jolt in life? Makes you wonder what tomorrow holds, doesn't it? Have you ever asked, "What else could possibly go wrong?!"

Sometimes life throws us curve balls that have us fearing tomorrow rather than loving it. (My apologies to Orphan Annie.)

A little song that I play for my two-year-old granddaughter convicts me:

Are you humbly grateful, or grumbly hateful?

What's your attitude?

Do you grumble and groan, or let it be known

You're grateful for all God's done for you?

No matter what is going on in life, we still have so many blessings for which to thank God. I woke up this morning with a roof over my head, a furnace heating my home, warm blankets, a warm shower, a loving husband, and a host of other blessings!

Whenever I enjoy a hot shower, God seems to bring to my mind all the persecuted Christians around the world who are in prison, have spent time in prison or concentration camps for their faith, or who just don't have the amenities we have in our western world. He reminds me of two things: 1.) to pray for the persecuted believers around the world, and 2.) to be grateful for the riches I have.

I may not be rich by this world's standards. I don't live in a mansion, or even a newly built home. I don't have endless money to spend. There are problems in my life that I wish weren't there. There are relationships in my life that I wish were better. But I am rich!

The church of Laodicea was rebuked of God because they were lukewarm. Why were they considered lukewarm? God said,

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ~ Revelation 3:17

Does God want me to grovel? No. But He does want me to see that without Him, I am nothing. Because He wants me to rely completely on Him, and realize that everything I have is from Him.

What in the world does this have to do with fearing tomorrow? When I see life through the gratefulness lens, I don't fear tomorrow, because I have the assurance that God, the Almighty, my Creator, the Lover of my soul, has everything planned, purposed, and under control. When I see Him as a loving heavenly Father, a perfect one, I can lean back in His arms and trust that everything He is allowing--and will ever allow--in my life is for a perfect plan and purpose. That it's all for my good. That one day I will understand it all. It will all make sense.

The late Corrie ten Boom used the illustration of a cross-stitch piece. On earth, we only see the underside of the cross-stitch of our lives: all tangles and knots, not pretty. When we get to heaven, we will see the beauty of the top side: the completed cross-stitch He has made of everything in our lives. Then we will know why and we will be eternally grateful for all that He did allow--even the uglies--to make something so beautiful of our lives.

Fear not tomorrow! God is already there!

Grateful

In the midst of the gratefulness challenge sent out by Joy, this morning I read Psalm 116 and was especially encouraged by verse seven: 

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Reminds me of Hebrews 4:9...

There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.

That rest is for us here and now, on this earth. We do not have to wait until heaven to rest in Him! He IS our peace (Ephesians 2:14)! And He is right where you are--with YOU--right now!

If you're feeling anxious or more irritable than thankful today, go read Psalm 116. Then listen to this song by the Talley Trio. Hope it blesses you as it does me. Let me know...

I Am Redeemed!

Do you really know what it means to be redeemed by Jesus?
Sometimes when I'm doing a word study in the Bible, it's meaningful to me to simply look in the dictionary. Thefreedictionary.com gives this definition of "redeem":
1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.
2. To pay off.
3. To turn in and receive something in exchange.
4. To fulfill.
5. To convert into cash: redeem stocks.
6. To set free; rescue or ransom.
7. To save from a state of sinfulness and its consequences.
8. To make up for.
9. To restore the honor, worth, or reputation of.
Well, that was enough for me!
Lord Jesus, I thank You that You recovered ownership of my soul from the prince of the power of the air, the enemy of my soul by paying the price of Your death on the cross.
Thank You for paying off my sin debt!
Thank You for turning over Your body and life in exchange for mine!
Thank You for fulfilling me--that You are all I need. Ever.
Thank You, Jesus, for converting me from worthless to something worthwhile through Your indwelling Spirit in me.
Thank You for setting me free, rescuing and ransoming me from the devil!
Thank You for saving me from my sinful state and its consequences, which would have been to be eternally separated from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and from you.
Thank You for making up the difference for everything in my life. All things are but loss for the excellency of Your power!
Thank You for providing me honour, worth, and reputation by allowing me to just BE IN YOU.
Thank You, Jesus, that I AM REDEEMED!


Note: If you have trouble playing the video, you may need to pause it until it completely loads. Then try playing it. It's worth the wait!

Autumn Joys

My Gratefulness List

This is not--and can never be--an exhaustive list! In fact, I plan to add to it as time goes on.

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada, so I was reminded once again to cultivate a heart of gratefulness, and to express it!

So here goes. I am grateful for...

1. My Jesus who saved me and called me with a holy calling, and loves to walk with me "in the garden."

2. My wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally and is always honest with me.

3. That God setteth the solitary in families... that He has given me a family to love.

4. Music that encourages, inspires, and refreshes me spiritually and emotionally

5. Beauty all around me in God's world, and simple little joys such as a warm, soft blanket

Grateful to Be Back!

I'm back in the blogging world! I apologize for the gap between my blog entries. There were issues that, as it turned out, related to my use of Firefox. Now that I have attempted an entry in Internet Explorer, I'm seeing success!

I will post soon... Today though... Thanksgiving dinner with our kids and grandbaby!

With a Grateful Heart,
Dayna

Here's the song that played as I came down the boardwalk at our beach wedding...

♫
We are so blessed, with the gifts from Your hand,
I just can't understand why You love us so much!
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way--
Or the words that can say, Thank You, Lord, for Your touch!

When we're empty, You fill us till we overflow!
When we're hungry, You feed us, and cause us to know,

We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love You so much!

How to Be the Woman of Your Husband's Dreams

Life's Little Pleasures

Our grandbaby Kyla (now 18 months old) loves kitties! She's a gal after my own heart: she loves her Papa (my husband) and kitties! :) One minute she squeals, "Papa! Papa!" The next, she squeaks, "Mew! Mew!" (her name for the kitties).

Life is an adventure-gift from God. Kyla always reminds me to enjoy the little pleasures God gives us richly to enjoy (I Timothy 6:17).

When the old preacher Gypsy Smith was asked the secret of the success of his ministry, he replied, "I've never lost the wonder."

Tell us (comment below) about a little pleasure from God that you enjoyed today.

Grateful?

A girl I knew in college has now been in a wheelchair, paralyzed with MS, for nearly a year. In addition to waking up one day, suddenly unable to move her legs, she was four months pregnant, a pastor's wife, and already had five children!

Alicia's spirit and attitude is so inspiring... and convicting. If I were in that position, would I be as upbeat as she is? Her situation reminds me to be grateful that I can still walk... and for the loads of blessings God gives me daily (Psalm 68:19).

If you're feeling ungrateful or grumbly, check out her blog at http://comfortsfromgod.blogspot.com.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

(But I WILL Bless the Lord!)

It's -8C with light snow flurries! Brrr!

Kali has built a fire in the fireplace, and I'm debating whether or not to venture to the grocery store for things I need to continue my Christmas baking! I have more things that need to be baked by Friday.

This morning, it felt delicious to Christmas shop in my bathrobe... online! I hate how late I am! But I am enjoying Christmastime!

My husband preached two great messages this past Sunday on thankfulness, blessing the Lord, and cultivating a heart of gratitude.

Notice in Psalm 34:1, David says, "I will bless the Lord..." It's a choice. Then he says, "His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

The difference between the words "continually" and "continuously" are important. "Continual" is intermittent, yet consistent or regular; "continuous" implies lack of interruption. David acknowledges that he isn't perfect. He will not continuously bless the Lord because he's human. There will be interruptions to his praise. But he will, by choice, continually bless and praise the Lord! That's what I'm seeking to do this week.

How about you? Will you make a conscious decision to bless the Lord for something specific in your life? Comment below and let me know how you are praising God.