Tales of a Thankful Mom

           My Pastor gave a message on Sunday, and one of the verses that he shared was one that I wrote about just a few days ago as part of Five Minute Friday. I knew that I needed to come back to this little space and share what I have been learning. After all I know that this post will be here when I need the reminder later. My Pastor talked about faith on Sunday, which is a topic I tend to overcomplicate. Faith is simply trusting God enough to say yes to Him. Yes, I trust you. Yes, I will obey you. Wherever He leads I'll go. I can trust God because he loves me more than I can fathom. I can find rest and peace in God because I trust him. Whenever I am trying to fix it, in my own strength, it is because I am not trusting God. In those moments, I need to surrender my will to God. Is there anything that you need to trust God with today? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

           I admit that there have been many times in the past six years that I have prayed that God would fix my situation. I have seen God work and make a way where there was no way. One of the lessons I am learning is to fix my eyes on God instead of my circumstances. If my eyes are on Jesus, my circumstances do not seem so scary. If my eyes are on Jesus, I remember to be thankful for the myriad blessings in my life even in the middle of hard situations. May I remember to fix my eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. As a song by Scott Krippayne states , "Sometimes he calms the storm. Other times He calms His child"  

Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting          When I think about the word fresh I think about fresh fruit or freshly picked flowers. I think about the sea breezes that come off the ocean. My family moved closer to the coast than we used to live in late 2018, and many days it is breezy. That's what I need. I need a fresh revelation of God's love for me I need to slow myself down and ask God to quiet my heart and spend time in God's presence. I am so thankful that God's mercies are new every morning. Where is your favorite place to go to be refreshed by God?   

  Psalms 15:13 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.           My times are in Your hands. This is what I try to remind myself whenever I am tempted to be impatient about something not happening according to my schedule. I need to remember that the things that I view as important in my schedule, may not be what God views as  important. Especially in regards to how I treat people. Showing kindness and love to others should be my priority not worrying about how long a task is taking. This post is reminding me to respond with grace to my "stop and smell the roses" youngest daughter, instead of telling her to hurry up. My daughter literally got reprimanded by a teacher for stepping out of line at school to pick wild flowers when she was in kindergarten. So what about you do you like schedules or do you have a more "go with the flow" personality? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

                     As 2020 drew to a close, I have felt that I needed a change. It would be easy for me to say that I would like certain circumstances in my life to change. If I am being honest, I realize that often times my circumstances is not what really needs to change; what really needs to change is my attitude concerning my circumstances. I tend to pick apart my past. I am reminded of a line in the Danny Gokey song "Tell Your Hear to Beat Again." It states. "Yesterday's an open door. You don't live there anymore." The truth of Philippians 3:13-14 is one that I need to remember. I want to strain toward what is ahead In 2021, I want to press on. I want to keep moving forward.            I have seen God make a way for me and my children, when all seemed dark, and I did not see a path forward. Unfortunately, when I am scared or sorrowful, I lose sight of the fact that God is a Way Maker. This is something that I do not want to forget this year. I want to

           In the following paragraphs, I am going to look back on the year 2020. I looked back through pictures and emails to help me remember the memories that stood out for me in the year 2020.           On January 5th, my children returned home from  their cross country trip visiting their Dad. My favorite tween wore a dress and dressed up for coming home. This touched my heart as dresses aren't usually her favorite attire. Also in January we participated in fun school extracurricular activities. We did not know that the extracurricular activities would soon be coming to an end for a while.           In February we baked cookies in honor of Valentine's Day. We love baking and decorating cookies as a family. We also had family time celebrating my Mom's birthday.         In March, schools here in Florida shut down and distance learning began. I am very proud of my kids who work hard in less than ideal circumstances.           In April, I was invited by a Pastor friend in