Grace and Thanksgiving

I have been successful with my challenge so far; thank you God for your help with that. And I can say that I am noticing some changes taking place; nothing major, just subtle, hope-filled changes. I participated in a food fest this week, and I'm not able to run a marathon, stretch my body like a rubber band, or lift an impressive amount of weight, but I have been consistent with my 15 min exercise program three times a week; this week. It hasn't been an everyday thing yet but I have been reading from my Bible more, and my journaling has not been just one long vent session with God. I see these things as big accomplishments and things worthy of celebration.

I have been reading about grace and thanksgiving, not just in the Bible but in a beautifully poetic book written by Ann Voskamp; A Thousand Gifts. Thank you to my sister for introducing me to this book.

"A free and ready favor. That's grace. It is one thing to choose to take the grace offered at the cross. But to choose to live as one filling with His grace? Choosing to fill with all that He freely gives and fully live - with glory and grace and God? Could I live that - the choice to open the hands to freely receive whatever God gives? If I don't, I am still making a choice." - From the book above.

Grace is a gift from God, it requires a choice to receive that gift. We have to make that choice. We have to fully surrender to that choice. We have to believe and trust that God loves us so much that he would sacrifice his Son so that we can receive the gift of grace and a life everlasting with Him. Surrender and trust are the things I struggle with. I need to believe that I am just as worthy as everyone else.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"Thanksgiving is the manifestation to our yes to His grace!"
"As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible." - A Thousand Gifts

The importance of thanksgiving. Ann also said in her book, "This is why I sat all those years in church but my soul holes had never full healed." This made me think of myself and I how I have battled with depression for so many years. I know there are causes and reasons for depression; stress, chemical imbalances, and traumatic life experiences.  And I know that I have got to learn to stop fighting God so much and give him my trust. But am I thankful enough. Do I really take the time to tell God thank you for all he is and all he does. To be honest, no. When I am experiencing a high in my life, when I am having one of those moments when I am feeling really connected to Him, then yes I do. But not in the everyday. I don't always look for the things to be thankful for during the low and hard times. Ann says in her book, "Thanks is what multiplies the joy and makes any life large, and I hunger for it." I really do hunger for a "life large", for freedom and healing.

One Thousand Gifts. This is an added part to my 2015 challenge. I am going to take the idea from this book to make a "gift list. Not of gifts I want but of gifts I already have." Now I have done the exercise of making a list of the 100 things I am thankful for before as a way of helping me to focus on all that I am blessed with. It really does help to look at all of your blessing, but I never looked at them as "gifts" before. A gift is given voluntarily. A gift is given out of love; a desire to make someone smile. A gift is meant to bring joy, to let someone know they are loved and cared about. A gift is special. A gift is not just something God has blessed us with because he is God and that is what he does. No, he blesses me with things, people, opportunities, all the work he does in my life because he really, truly loves me. I am his beloved daughter. Now, I don't really know what a healthy father-daughter relationship feels like, but I am learning. So I am going to take on the "Gift List" challenge. I am hoping to find more than One Thousand Gifts.

"God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: Joy." -One Thousand Gifts

If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend it.

GIFT LIST:
1. The ability to put pen to paper and let soul words flow.

"This pen: This is nothing less than the driving of nails. Nails driving out my habits of discontent and driving in my habit of eucharisteo (thanksgiving). I'm hammering in nails to pound out nails, ugly nails that Satan has pierced through the world, my heart." -One Thousand Words.

I hope to one day be able to write as beautifully.