Thankful for New Days

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

This time last week I was at the end of a long day full of many frustrations. I allowed myself to get so caught up in those frustrations that I focused on the frustrations and not the many good things of the day. I was doing everything except rejoice in the day the Lord had given to me.

As I crawled in bed that night, I had that moment of revelation. You know the one... where you suddenly realize that you've allowed your focus to shift away from God. It's that moment where you realize if you would have turned it over to God from the very beginning that it would have all turned out so differently. For me, it's that moment where I just want to knock myself upside the head because I've been there so many times that you would think I would know what needs to be done by now.

I fell asleep that night praying. Asking God to forgive me for moving so far away during the day and completely turning over to Him the frustrations of the day.

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had all week. I had slept better than I had in several nights. Gone were the feelings of frustration and in its place was a peace and calmness. As I backed out of my driveway the song, "New Day" by Avalon came on the radio. I don't doubt for even one minute that God fully intended for me to hear that song at that exact moment.  Here are the lyrics to the first verse...

Lookin' back on yesterday
There are things that I regret
But I put the past behind me
And I never will forget
You have covered my mistakes
And my broken dreams
Now over the horizon
I see the dawn is drawing near
And I realize the sun did rise
Tomorrow's finally here

Isn't God good? When we do turn it all over, He takes it and carries it for us. He replaces our discouragement, our frustrations, our disappointments, with peace and comfort and a love that is unending and neverfailing.

Since that day last week, God has shown me in many ways the gift He has given us with each new day. A new day to start over, a new day to be with family and friends, a new day to love and serve Him, and new day to reach out to this hurting world in which we live.

I am thankful for new days. I am thankful for God's love, for God's peace, for God's comfort.

What are you thankful for today? You can join us in sharing our thanksgivings this week by visiting Iris at "Grace Alone...".

A Winter Surprise

I read somewhere yesterday that 49 out of 50 states had snow on the ground over the weekend.  It's not been a "normal" winter, has it? 

This picture is what we woke up to Friday morning.  We'd already had several inches of snow on Thursday, but when we went to sleep Thursday evening had no idea we would wake up to even more snow.  This is the 10 inches or so that we recieved as seen from our front door.

I know that for those of you that see snow on a regular basis, it can get a little old after awhile.  After all, it's cold, harder to get around on the roads, etc.  But, for those of us in Texas that don't see snow quite as much, this was a special treat. 

For me, it brought back many childhood memories of snow days.  The kids were just beside themselves with excitement, which is always so fun to see.  They were in and out of the house for two solid days... playing in the snow, coming in to get warm, building a snowman, coming in for hot chocolate, going out for a snowball fight, coming back in to warm by the fireplace.  All in all... a really great couple of days.

So very unexpected, but such a wonderful diversion from the normal day to day!

Thankful thru Scripture

This week....

I am thankful for strength that comes from God.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13

I am thankful that I can give all my worries to God. I am thankful that He cares for me.
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you..." Psalm 55:22

I am thankful for God's gift of peace.
"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

I am thankful that God listens and hears us when we turn to Him.
"I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry." " Psalms 40:1

I am thankful that God is always with me.
"Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid of them! For the Lord your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6


Those are just a few of the things I am thanful for this week.  What about you?  What are you thankful for?


To join us in sharing our thanksgivings this week, visit Iris at "Grace Alone...".

Can't Steal My Joy

It is so, so easy to let the "day to day" of life, the words and actions from others and painful situations to completely rob us of our joy.

Last week when I walked into church, I was coming off one of those weeks where I had done just that. In the grand scheme of things, it was not a bad week. But, a few days prior there had been some words said to me that had been difficult to hear and it was still hurting when I arrived at church that day. I was still struggling with how to accept them and whether or not they were true. I'm sure I was even placing too much importance on them. I was allowing that whole situation to take my joy and making me doubt decisions I had made. Decisions that I had made as I had examined where God wanted me to be and the priorities I should have in my life.

Anyway, as I sat in church that morning there were many things that I know God had waiting just for me. The sermon that morning? Just what I needed to hear. The music that morning? Again, words that spoke to me specifically. It was just what I needed. In closing the service, the song below is what was played. I have carried it with me all this past week.

I hope it is as good a reminder to you as it was of me... don't let the world steal away our joy!



(Never Gonna) Steal My Joy
I look at my life
And I still can't believe it
How did I make it
To where I stand now?
You don't understand
I was up against the whole world
And all I could feel was it breaking me down
But out of a hopeless situation
There came a song of redemption

Life may push my heart to the limit
But I won't let go
Of the joy in my soul
‘Cause everything can change in a minute
And the world may try
But they're never gonna steal my joy

So get up, stand up
And rise above it
If every plan
That you've made goes so wrong
You don't have to give in to the struggle
You may be down
But don't stay there for long
In every hopeless situation
There is a song of redemption

The world may say
You're never gonna make it
The world may say
You're not strong enough to take it
But I don't care
‘Cause the joy of the Lord is real
And they're never gonna steal my joy

Thankful for Encouragement

A couple of years ago, I started talking with my husband about starting my own business. At that point it was more about "doing my own thing" instead of being employed by another large company. I had always wanted to start a business, but had never done it. Additionally, I was beginning to grow weary of the workload, stress and expectations of the job I had been in for a number of years.

It was time for a change. And, from that, we started Beads-N-Style. Our goal is that once business is stronger (both for this business and my husband's company) I will quit my "day job" and do this full time. Hopefully, with a little more control over how much business, etc, it will provide more flexible work hours and more time for family. Yes, we do know that running your own businesses can be stressful, too... nothing is perfect. But, we see many positives in this for us as a family.

As these types of things usually go, it has been a slow change and one that is still in progress. We have tried to seek the Lord's will every step of the way. While this is something that I really want to do, I also know that it will never be right unless it is the Lord's will.

The business is growing slowly, but it is growing. Over the last 6 months, we have seen a small increase in sales each month. And, just 2 weeks ago, we began working with our first reseller which has already brought in almost as much sales over the last two weeks as we normally see in a month.

So, this week, I am thankful for God's encouragements. I have seen many in this area over the last few months. It seems this is God's will. And, until He shows us differently, we will continue to proceed in this direction. Watching and waiting for each of His signs of encouragement.. whatever direction He may be leading.


To join us in sharing our thanksgivings this week, visit Iris at "Grace Alone...".