Gifts

Sorry I haven't posted these in a few days. I've been pretty sick...I am finding myself very thankful for this challenge of finding gifts in every day life... It is forcing me to stop and remember that God is good, when the human side of me wants to gripe and complain about the bad stuff....

January 12: 
     something above you: a roof over my head, a gift that so many do not have
     something below you: the strong foundation, the rock that I can stand on when things get tough
     something beside you: My Jesus - You are beside me always, an eternal gift that you so freely give!

January 13: 
     3 sounds you hear
      1. The wind blowing through the leaves, its such a soothing, almost musical sound, so beautiful...
      2. The soft trickle of rain drops
      3.  The voice of my husband telling me that he loves me

January 14: 
     3 ways you glimpsed the startling grace of God
     1. Each and every day, I am given a glimpse at His awesome grace in each and every aspect of my life
     2. The grace poured out over me last week that enabled me to keep quiet and not fight back when being treated unjustly at work
     3. The baptism of a newly saved young man - so encouraging, once again the Lord  turning a situation that once was so discouraging into yet another instance of His wonderful, saving Grace

January 15:
     One thing you wore: my sickwear (hoodies, sweat pants and some nice fluffy warm socks) - so nice and warm and soft.... 
     One thing you gave away: being able to give a friend pots and pans (hope she was able to use them!)
     One thing you shared: The delicious strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery that my hubby brought me home this weekend because I was sick :)

January 16:
     3 ways you witnessed happiness today
          I didn't really leave the couch today, except to go to the doctor, so I will just give thanks for my wonderful husband who is taking such good care of me :)
     
January 17: 
     One gift that you made laugh (I think this might actually be meant to say one gift that made you laugh): Listening to the totally nonsensical conversation going on between my co-workers...
     One gift that made you pray: beginning a new book that prompts meditation and prayer as I read....    
     One gift that made you quiet: This Joy Dare...I sit quietly, pondering all of the wonderful things that the Lord has done for me as I think of things I am thankful for today...  

January 18:
     3 Gifts from God's Word
     1. The reminder that some of the greatest men in God's Word were human too, yet God was able to use them in mighty, mighty ways! (David, Moses, Paul, Peter)
     2. The reminder that God is with us, no matter how dark the circumstances (Psalms)
     3. The reminder that, through God, all things are possible!

January 10 and 11....

Well, I didn't post anything yesterday for the January Joy Dare: capture these gifts, so today I will post for two days.

January 10:

     A gift that is sour: ummmm.... hmmmm........ 

     A gift that is sweet: my hubby scraping the ice off of my car in the mornings when he heads to work so I don't have to.

     A gift that is Just. Right.: massages that help release the pressure in my muscles.

January 11: 

     3 Yellow things that strike you as fresh mercy: 

          1. The yellow roses that are sitting on my desk right now.

          2. The yellow and pink ceramic mug from someone sweet at church.

          3. The sunshine that cuts through difficult, dreary days. 

One Thousand Gifts in 2012

Last year, I had a friend that started sharing her One Thousand Gifts and today I was reminded of it by Emily over at chatting at the sky. I was hesitant to jump in last year. Last year was a very difficult year for me and I will admit, I was not very thankful... Sometimes I think we can get so focused on "surviving" when we are going through difficult circumstances, but in that "surviving" we so often miss the little things, those things that so easily slip right past us without our even realizing it. Those things we don't see because we are so busy doing a million and a half things that we forget to slow down, to remember to look for those small gifts that our Father God has so lovingly left in our paths, to help us, to encourage us, to remind us of His presence and His undying love for us.


So... this year, I think I'll take the challenge.  If I really believe Romans 8:28, then I have everything in the world to be thankful for, even the {seemingly} bad stuff. If you'd like to give thanks to your creator this year for all he's done, you can find more info at A Holy Experience.

Today's Joy Dare is "a gift in your hand, a gift you walked by, a gift you sat with."

"a gift in your hand" - my Starbucks grande skim latte


"a gift you walked by" - the beautiful bouquet of yellow roses that sits on my dining room table, cheerfully greeting me each time I walk by


"a gift you sat with" - my husband, who so sweetly gets up in the morning and makes us breakfast because he knows how rough mornings are for me.... and who sits next to me on the couch as he eats his breakfast, drinks his coffee and reads the holy Word of God.