...in thankful thursday

today I am thankful for...

113. our new house! God has provided a great opportunity for us to have our own home and I am so very thankful for that....something we have prayed for for a very long time.
114. Sydney's curiosity. She asks a lot of questions....hope my answers will suffice ;)
115. the weather on Tuesday was AWESOME (finally!), even if it didn't last
116. time to sit and be quiet, needed that today.
117. our new kitty, Lily. It's fun having a pet, why did we wait so long?? :)
118. the lesson of trust God continues to teach me. It feels like a never ending lesson, but He presses on with me, not giving up or letting me give up. I'm so thankful for His persistence and faithfulness.
119. Josh's perseverance in a job he doesn't love, but keeps to provide for us
120. chocolate cake....I need to be less thankful for this one ;)
121. fingernail polish. love a little color on my super pale hands....makes it feel springy even when it doesn't look it outside
122. the way that God is using BSF to challenge and stretch me
123. my family...near and far
124. medicine that will hopefully get some of my stomach issues under control
125.  knowing that I have a faithful Heavenly Father, that has prepared His kingdom for those who believe in him and longs for all of us to be there.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world."     Matthew 25:34



^"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

...in being still.

I last posted three months ago about choosing the phrase "be still" for 2014, and boy has God been teaching me how to do that. I think that was a perfect phrase to focus on in this season of my life and has been very stretching, refining, and grounding for me. In January, I feel like I was forced to physically be still. We had ridiculously cold weather which made even going outside painful and the whole family had the flu over the course of 3 weeks. January was a time to literally stop and be. As frustrating and boring as that was at times, it was also a good time of rest which apparently we all needed. February was a time of being still mentally. The weather continued to give us cabin fever, so this mama had to get really creative with our time stuck inside. February was a challenge in so many ways and I feel like God really used that month to quiet my mind and my heart, to see a bit more clearly. March has been a sweet time of being still spiritually. I think studying the book of Matthew this year in BSF has made me think a LOT about faith and trust in Jesus. The study has encouraged me to participate a little more actively in the season of Lent this year which has been super challenging but very fruitful. For lent I chose to fast from a couple different things but also to write in a prayer journal daily. Having that focused time in tangible prayer has had an amazing impact on my days. I've seen it totally change my attitude or focus throughout the day. I've felt the enemy press in and try to steal that peace and joy from my concentrated time of fellowship with God. I've seen answer to prayer and a felt my heart begin to change. I've come face to face with my own selfishness, self-reliance, and self-seeking approach to my relationship with God. I've gained a deeper respect and appreciation for the unreal sacrifice of Christ. I've developed a deeper desire to know Him, trust Him, and love Him better. March was a time of being still in the presence of God....and it has been so good, yet so hard. I read this quote about Lent that really resonated...
"Lent is preparing the heart for Easter. Like going with Jesus into the wilderness for forty days, that we might come face to ugly face with our enemy. Our sacrificing that we might become like Christ in His sacrifice."    Ann Voskamp
That is what this Lent has been for me....coming face to ugly face with our enemy...and sometimes coming face to ugly face with the ugly side of myself.

Thank you God for the reminder to be still. Thank you for the many ways you are teaching me to do that. I pray you will continue to teach me to be still, in all things.


This song has had a huge impact on me the last few weeks. It has sort of stopped me in my tracks, so to speak, and helped me to be still before God as I learn to trust Him more, to have more faith in Him, to love Him better.

just be still.





Several months ago I read this post on another blog about choosing one word to focus on for the entire year. I think this is a brilliant idea. I love simplifying things and focusing on goals...it helps keep me grounded. So after reading that, I began to pray for a word or a phrase to focus on for 2014 and after awhile I began to have one phrase laid on my heart, over and over. Simply...be still.



photo credit
 

So that is my phrase for 2014. I want to be still this year. I want to be quiet, to stand firm and fixed, I want to be at peace, I want to rest. I want to be still in my marriage, to listen more than I speak, to bring peace and rest instead of worry or stress. I want to be still as a parent, to be a place of rest, a mom of peace, quiet and calm. I want to be still in my home, to be the calm in the storm and a fixed place my family can rely on. I want to be still in prayer so that I can hear my Father speak to me. I want to be still in my comings and goings so that I can be more present, every day.  This year, I choose to be still.
Its funny because "be still" is a phrase my grandma used to say to us when we were acting up or getting a little out of control. I've thought about that a lot as I've meditated on this phrase and can kind of see why God led me in this direction. I tend to be an anxious person. I worry, I over-plan, I stress, I anticipate. So now, I need to learn how to just be still.

"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”        Exodus 14:13-14

“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!"
1 Samuel 12:16

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways,   when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."           Psalm 37:7-9

^"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”                    Psalm 46:10

"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.  The Lord protects the unwary;  when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."                      Psalm 116:5-7

"Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”
Zechariah 2:13

"God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.”                  Isaiah 28:12a

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength"                 Isaiah 30:15a


Father, teach me how to be still. Let my heart be still. Let my mind be still.