Happy Thanksgiving...

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Thanksgiving. The day when Americans meet together and eat turkey and are thankful. Well, that's what it seems like to us Australians anyway. But it is really, and then some.

It "is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens"..." (Source: Wikipedia)

Thanksgiving is mentioned many times in the Bible, hence why President Lincoln proclaimed the day of thanks to the Lord. He knew where his blessings came from and he was not afraid to share that fact.

I'm thankful for many things this year.

For friendships being restored and renewed.
For freedom from unhealthy relationships.
For being forced to live humbly thus learning the true value of the blessings that God gives me.
For my physical and mental health steadily improving as my emotional and spiritual health grows.
For being the mother of a hormone-ravaged tween.
For being the adoptive mum of four adorably cute guinea pigs who bless me with their wheeking everyday.
For the opportunity to experience the highs and lows of a higher paid job at work.

Many, many blessings. So much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy your day!

Thanksgiving: A Repost on Thanksgiving...

As it's November and the month for Thanksgiving in America, I thought I'd randomly post a few of my thankful posts and share what I was, and still am, thankful for.
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After a few weeks of trials and tribulations, I have been presented with various revelations from the Lord, and I am truly thankful for His constant presence. I am slowly reading through the New Testament and this morning I started on 1 Corinthians. Paul is the epitome of one called by God to serve Him, and I always enjoy reading his invaluable contribution to The Word.

Two passages of Scripture stood out this morning - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Both of these remind me to be thankful for God's presence in my life, for the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and for their enduring presence in my life.

To read the rest of this post, click here.

Thanksgiving: A Repost on Becoming Unstuck...

As it's November and the month for Thanksgiving in America, I thought I'd randomly post a few of my thankful posts and share what I was, and still am, thankful for.
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Don’t you just love it when God plants a seed in your mind and then keeps watering it until it finally digs roots and starts to grow! That’s what happened to me over the last week and I’m very thankful for it!

As I wrote last month in my Freedom From The Past post, I struggle with issues from bad choices I made in my past. Just when I think I’ve moved on a little bit more, something will crop up to sabotage my progress and I slip back again; punishing myself for things that I cannot change now. But this last weekend God planted a seed in me, which has actually taken root, and rather quickly too, so He can grow within me the means to deal with my past better.
 
To see the rest of this post, please click here.

Thanksgiving: A Repost on Being Thankful...

 

 

Over five years ago I took this photo of my much slimmer self and blogged about being thankful. As it's November and the month for Thanksgiving in America, I thought I'd randomly post a few of my thankful posts and share what I was, and still am, thankful for.

 

Please click here to read what I wrote about Being Thankful.

 



27 Years...

He has loved me with an everlasting love...

He has drawn me with unfailing kindness...

The words in Jeremiah 31:3 speaks so eloquently of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me. And this short post is to say Thank You to Him for planting His seed in my heart 27 years ago today. That seed has been slowly growing into the branch of His tree that I am today.

Thank You Father for my 27th Freedom Birthday.

What I'm Learning...

A lot!

From God's perfect faithfulness in Isaiah 25:1, to how He helps when the enemy attacks in Psalm 86. From how Christ did not please himself in Romans 15:3a, and how I need to submit myself to God in James 4.

So many lessons! So much relevance! So much thankfulness!

The stand out lesson has been through Daniel and how he "purposed in his heart..." (Daniel 1:8 NKJV) to honour God. I have never read a devotional that was so relevant before until I read one from UCB Australia on the 17/7/09. Life doesn't always go the way I want it to. I will face opposition and hardship. It's how I react to those things that matters. If I take control in small things and leave the big things to God, then the journey I'm on will be a smoother one.

As I said ... so many lessons! So much relevance! So much thankfulness!

From these gems above to the wisdom gleaned from Liz Curtis Higgs book, Embrace Grace and Charles R. Swindoll's A Life Well Lived. Then there are emails from my wonderful friend Lelia sharing what she has learnt! I have been blessed ... and blessed ... and blessed. I cannot just post on one thing, as there are so many things that He is showing me. It's kind of doing my head in, but tonight I've felt some clarity of mind, so hence this post!

The importance of focussing on Jesus and the life He lived. Of staying close to God and remembering His strength in my weakness. And of living as one in the world but not of the world.

Again ... so many blessings. So many lessons learnt after the fact. The best way to learn at times!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the blessings that you bestow upon me. Thank you for standing by me as I go through the trials of this life I live. Thank you for comforting me when I need it most. Thank you for reminding me that while I'm on this earth, I am not alone as you are with me. Thank you mostly for taking on board my frustrations, confusion, misunderstandings and dilemmas and returning to me only peace and understanding. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen.

The Plan That Failed...

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." - Genesis 50:20 (NLT)

Two weeks has passed since a stranger set out to tip my life off balance. God had other plans.

He used that situation to strengthen ME ...to fill up an empty spot in MY heart ... and to re-confirm that what He had brought together many years ago could not be brought undone now.

What is so amazing about the 'disruption' to my life from two weeks ago? It's the fact that so many people in my life are now better off because of it ... especially ME!

I was blown away when I read this verse from Genesis, as it epitomises the recent upheavel in my life, and how God has used it for His glory ... once again!

Thanks and praise to our Wonderful Lord and Saviour for blessing me so much.

Thank You for Love and Friendship...

My lovely friends Naomi from Among the Gum Trees and Jo from Princess Warrior Lessons blessed me with some blog awards a while back, and I have been very remiss in not posting them on my blog. And I have been very remiss for not thanking my dear friends for the awards, or for thinking of me. You both have already blessed me on your blogs previously (click here), so...thank you so very much ladies!

PS: As this is my second post for the day, please don't go leave until you've taken a peek at my earlier post from today on "Humbled by His Mother". You will be glad for the message, especially once you head over to Tracy Berta's page and read her post. Yes...blog hop time, but it will be worth it! Go...check it out...now!

PPS (21/12/08): Now, I'm not sure if I am the Paula (the joy of there being another Paula in blogland...Paula, Sweet Pea...love ya!) but I thought I'd add this award to my post that came from Naomi's page also. And even if I'm not 'the' Paula, the award pic is just what I'd like for Christmas, hehe.