Gratitude

Psalm 145:7 - They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (NIV)

A couple of weeks ago I was reading a blog that I linked to from another blog I had been reading. I don't remember what blog it was now, but I have to admit to being convicted when reading some of the posts by how the gal writing it always ended her posts with things she is grateful for.

With all the frustrations that I've been fighting in trying to get my house here in Tx sold (anyone want to buy a house here?) and in trying to find a FT, and preferably perm, job I all too often find myself complaining or whining about the circumstances I'm in. I forget about all that God has blessed me with and instead focus on the negatives - the opposite of what I should be focused on. It is soooooooooo easy to forget that even in the frustrating circumstances I have found myself in over the last 12+ months I am still far richer than the vast majority of people living in this world today.

So starting today, with each posting that I make to this blog my intent is to list at least two things that I'm grateful for so that my focus will remain on God and what he is doing in my life, instead of all that I can't control.

And my challenge to all that read this - is to consider what in your life you have to be grateful for. Who's up for the challenge?

Gratitudes -
1. Friends who always encourage me to keep my eyes focused on God while in the midst of all the stress and frustrations of daily life.
2. For all the blessings that God has given me.

Encouragement...........

The last few weeks have been stressful to put it mildly due to the project I'm assigned to at the present time. And this week it has been going from bad to rotten to worse yet with regards to the project and how it is going. As was said of Casey when he struck out - there is no joy in Mudville tonite. =P

And on top of that has been the lack of any success with the resumes that have been submitted over the last 11 months. And that is enough to make me really start to doubt myself and wonder if I'm ever going to have a fulltime contract, much less a perm position, ever again. It's very hard to remain positive and upbeat when nothing happens.

As I go through my days though, I try to keep reminding myself that God is the one who is stitching the pieces of my life together according to His master plan. In addition to quilting, I also cross-stitch and occassionally needlepoint as well. And in spite of my best intentions, the back of those pieces are not a think of beauty. Instead they are a mess of knots, thread changes, loose threads, thread tangles, and generally unlovely. But when you turn them over you see how all of the unlovely work of the back becomes lovely when you look at it from the front and you see the finished work.

So too our lives are seen only from the "back side" when we look at them. We see the problems, the things that are ugly in our lives, what we are missing, what is hurtful, and so on. We don't see how everything is working together in our lives to shape us and our lives according to God's plan for us. But God sees our lives as they will be when his will is perfected in us, and there will be a day in our lives when the children of God will see their lives from His perspective. It is then that we (I!) will see our lives for the beautiful picture of God's work in our lives that they are.

And so, it is that I hold fast to one of the bible verses that has most encouraged me -

Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

And God truly does provide encouragement when it is needed most - yesterday I received a card and book from some very dear friends in Phoenix. The card had notes of encouragement from everyone just when I needed it most. Thank you Lord for good friends!