Thankfulness
Practice Gratitude, Even in Difficult Seasons
When difficult seasons present, it can be hard to practice gratitude. Yet giving thanks should not be optional. A Hard Season I began writing this blog post three months ago. I started it with this paragraph: “My husband and I are in one of those seasons. Our vehicles continue to steal from our bank account.…
Give Thanks First
Don’t wait until everything’s wonderful to give thanks; give thanks first, and see everything in a little better light. Beauty Exists in the Thorns of Life It’s hard to be grateful when life holds so much pain. But if we wait for that perfect moment to express our gratitude, we’ll miss much of the goodness…
When Giving Thanks Is Difficult (the Sacrifice of Thanksgiving)
When giving thanks is difficult, the act becomes a sacrifice. Sacrifice of Thanksgiving Sometimes our world spins dark, and nothing seems good anymore. Yet simply because goodness and blessings seem absent doesn’t make it true. During those times, finding the blessings in your day (i.e., something to be grateful for) requires great determination and reflection.…
Learning to Let Go of What If and Embrace What Is
Circumstances can sure throw a wrench in the plans we make for our future. How we react when reality doesn’t match or expectations matters. Will we embrace it or wish it away? One = promise and hope, one = bitterness and hopelessness. On our wedding day, my husband and I didn’t give allot of thought…
The Greatest Reason for Giving Thanks [Gratitude Series and a Gift for You]
Giving gifts brings great blessings (I gave one away on this blog last week). Receiving them isn’t so bad either. It’s certainly fun to receive those unexpected expensive ones. But truly, those given with the greatest amount of consideration for me as the receiver hold the most meaning to me. However, no gift comes even…
Cultivating a Life of Gratitude Involves More Than Tit for Tat (Gratitude Series)
“What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark? What is God providing here and now?” —Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts In hindsight, I would have done it differently. Teaching my children gratitude lay forefront in my mind as they grew. But the way I taught it…
Where Do You See God’s Goodness?
“Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe! But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.” – C.S. Lewis, from The Chronicles of Narnia Joy fills some days. Other days feel okay. However, there are…
Why You Must Fight To See Goodness in the Midst of Your Suffering
Hard stuff can rip us apart if we let it, if we don’t see God’s goodness, but suffering doesn’t have to be joyless. In Press Into the Lord Now and Know a Confidence Not Even Death Can Shake, I wrote of the incredible pain I experienced in the death of my unborn children. In that pain, I…
There is a Reason to Be Grateful
No matter how bad things get, there is a reason to be grateful. Recently my daughter began communicating, “Thank you, Lord,” with a combination of sign language and vocalizations. She says it often throughout a given day. However, she won’t say it when she’s upset about something. No matter how much I prompt and coax, she refuses to…
When You Want Thanksgiving to Replace Your Grumbling
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” 1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV “This is so dumb! Nothing ever goes right!” I say it, and then I duck my head, ashamed as I realize how petty I sound. How I wish it were the one and only…
Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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