Thankless or Thankful

The trees are in full color now and the  summer's hot breath has turned into a soft coolness that speaks of the winter months to come. Things are cozy and coffee is in hand as I write.

As I sit here I think about all the things I'm so thankful for. I have a roof over my head, a beautiful family, a Savior who loves me, and a beautiful day ahead. You know those times when you just feel blessed and overwhelmed by the goodness of God? That is me in this moment.

I wish I could say that every moment of the day I was thanking the Lord. The truth is, I have a fairly thankless heart. I am selfish and prideful. Often times I forget about the blessings I see daily. I forget that we have a beautiful home. I forget that all of us are healthy. I forget that we are so so so amazingly fortunate. I forget that there are people out there shivering in the cold and wondering where their next meal will come from. How is it that I could possibly forget? I'm not really sure. All I know is that I earnestly ask the Lord to give me a heart that is thankful for even the struggles. Thankful for every waking moment that I get to be a part of His wonderful plan and creation.

Thank You Lord.

Toppling Kingdoms

Life is hard. Wasn't meant to be easy was it? The Bible says trials are what help to perfect our faith in Christ. I'm writing this on a rainy day after a pretty hard week of loneliness, emotions, and some other crazy things that are going on. It's so so easy to feel hopeless sometimes. It's amazing how quickly our finite personal kingdoms topple. In many ways that is a good thing. We shouldn't have "our kingdom", only God's Kingdom. That is what my poor little heart is daily coming to see. I exist for Him. He doesn't exist for me. My daily struggles are meant to refine me. What I choose to do with the struggle is the important deciding factor. Will I look to the one who made me and say, "Though I walk through fire, I will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn me..." (Isaiah 43)? Will I succumb to the lies that Satan is ever whispering in my ear? I want in the best way to be the one to cry out to God and trust His promises when the road gets rough. I pray that the Lord would help me to build on His kingdom and not my own. If my eyes are ever fixed on His glorification, how can I possibly have time to throw myself a grand ol' pity party? Anyways, This was just something I'm sure I have written about before but I thought would be encouraging for me to write it down. I hope it encourages you as well.