G is for Gratitude Journals by Carol Harrison

 

  

As I read through the Bible, I find so many references that command us to give thanks and not just when we feel like it or when life is going great. David in the Psalms knew what going through trials and hardships was all about and even though some of his Psalms are filled with laments, he ends with praise to God and giving thanks that God is God.

In Psalm 95:2 it says, “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”

I have no excuse for not giving thanks to God for all he has done; for his love, mercy, and faithfulness. Circumstances in life change and some are extremely difficult. There are times I don’t feel like being grateful and yet God commands us to be thankful or grateful.

I Thessalonians 5: 16-19 “Rejoice always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

David wrote out his thankfulness in Psalms, or songs of praise. Paul wrote instructions to the early church and to all believers, inspired by God, and included giving thanks or being grateful in more than one place.

So as I thought more about gratitude and thankfulness, gratitude journals came to mind. I looked up definitions of what a gratitude journal is. There were many examples of gratitude journals you could buy as well as various entries talking about what a gratitude journal is or what types of things you can write into one.

Really, gratitude journals are personal to you as a way to express your thankfulness for any and everything in your life. You can make a list, write a sentence, or even an entire journal entry. Sometimes you might want a combination of the three. Grab a notebook, a diary, or even go high-tech with an app as long as it is a place and means for you to easily keep track of things you are grateful for.

Why should we keep a gratitude journal? Being thankful and expressing our gratitude is commanded by God. Also keeping a gratitude journal is thought to boost your well-being and helps us focus on positive thoughts. The more regularly we do anything, the easier it is to become a habit, and keeping a gratitude journal is no exception. Imagine if we kept a journal every day for a year or every week for a year, how ingrained looking for things to be grateful for would become.

I must admit, that the idea of keeping a gratitude journal appeals to me and yet when I’ve tried to list things every day that I’m grateful for, I feel like I hit a wall. It isn’t that there aren’t things to be grateful for, I think I just balk at the expectation to write a certain amount of them per day. I don’t journal every day in any kind of journal. I am more sporadic at journal entries.

A couple of years ago, I made myself a junk journal whose purpose was to be a receptacle for the positive, the things to be grateful for, and the verses that meant a lot to me. I didn’t set out to call it a gratitude journal and yet that is what it really is. A place to record things I am grateful for. I need to make more entries into it.

A few weeks ago, our youngest daughter, Amee, wanted a gratitude journal. We looked at some in stores and on-lone. In the end, she decided she needed a junk journal, made by mom, to be hers. The first thing she put in it were Bible verses. What a positive challenge that was for me. First to make the journal and then to realize that we have the perfect reasons to be grateful. God and His Word.

How about you? Have you ever kept a gratitude journal or do you have one now? How often do you post an entry? What way do you record your gratefulness? I know this is challenging me to pick up my junk journal and make more entries of things I am grateful for.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the lord, all the earth, Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 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 though all generations.

 

Carol Harrison writes and creates junk journals from her home in Saskatoon. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and abilities find their voice and reach their full potential and encouraging them to find glimmers of hope and glimpses of joy in all circumstances.

 

 

2020: Not the Way I Planned It by Steph Beth Nickel

2020: The Year of ______

No matter how you filled in the blank w-a-y back in December 2019 or January of this year, it’s almost guaranteed these past 10 months have not gone as you expected.

COVID-19. Economic uncertainty. Kids at home … all. the. time.

Pivot. Overwhelm. The New Normal.

I know too many people who have faced unfathomable challenges this year to offer platitudes or pat answers.

I do, however, want to encourage you, knowing your plans for 2020 have not unfolded as you expected.

Here are seven things that can help you purge some stress and possibly, give you hope for 2021, despite what has become The Year of Unmet Expectations.

Pick up a pen (or sit down at your computer) and pour out your questions, uncertainties, and frustrations on paper. No one else has to read these musings—ever. In fact, you can crumple them up or feed them through a shredder to make sure that never happens. However, it can be very cathartic to come face to face with what you’re truly thinking and feeling.

Be kind to yourself. Just because other people have achieved things they’d long been putting off, maybe getting a little extra rest or having a long, hot soak in the tub is just what you need. (Know that if, day after day, you find it difficult to drag yourself out of bed or you find yourself binge-watching Netflix series you don’t even enjoy, it’s probably time to talk with someone. A family member. A good friend. A professional counsellor. Recognizing your need for outside help is another way of being kind to yourself.)

Look for opportunities to be kind to others. Meeting other’s needs, as you are able, has a way of filling your emotional tank. (Sometimes, it takes no more than a phone call to brighten someone’s day. Sometimes, it means preparing a meal for someone who is sick or running an errand for someone who is fearful about venturing out.)

Spend time with family and friends. You may think, “Spend time with family? As much as I love them, I need a break.” The increased hours you’ve spent with your spouse and children may be adding to your stress. But why not do something just for fun, something you all enjoy? And if you have family who live at a distance … (One of my sons and his wife live in Scotland; the other lives two provinces over.) If your situation is similar to mine, Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime may be among the only ways you can stay in touch. Work out a time that is doable for everyone involved and stay in touch. And when it comes to friends, many coffee shops and restaurants are open. But if that makes you uncomfortable or is beyond the budget, taking a walk in the park together or having a socially distanced BBQ outdoors can meet emotional needs you didn’t even know you had.

Create a gratitude journal. Even listing one thing each day you are grateful for can cause a mind shift. If you get into the habit of deliberately looking for the things you have to be thankful for, it will help you deal with all the negatives that bombard you day after day.

Don’t give up on the idea of making plans for 2021, but seek to create reasonable expectations of what you will be able to accomplish. Learn from the uncertainty of this past year and allow it to make you more adaptable. (I’m shifting from Dreamer to Doer, narrowing my focus, seeking to keep fewer plates spinning. Instead of grieving what I fear I’m giving up, I’m looking forward to working on some projects that will require perseverance for the long haul.)

And remember that none of this took God by surprise nor has His character changed. He is still loving, faithful, and trustworthy. You can rest secure in Him no matter what the future brings.

Steph Beth Nickel is an editor, author, and blogger. You can visit her website-in-progress, nurtureandinspire.com

Bloom Where You Are Planted by Lynn Dove

The sidewalks were pink with cherry blossom snow.  I could smell the fragrance of newly mowed grass, mingled with the sweet aroma of springtime blossoms.  The seagulls screeched their welcome to me as I walked towards the shoreline and embraced the full view of the ocean, the waves lapping in rhythmic cadence to the beating of my heart.  I was home.  Well, the home of my childhood at least. 

Several weeks before the travel bans and the Covid_19 season of isolation hit us all, I had left my wintry “home” in Alberta, to come to Vancouver Island for a week-long stay.  Had I known what we would be facing when we returned home from the Island, I likely would have fretted and not enjoyed this brief sojourn.  Thankfully, we were blissfully unaware of the growing pandemic looming just over the horizon so we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, drinking in the beauty and familiarity all around us.  Truth be told, I have been a prairie girl far longer than an island girl, having lived in the Calgary area most of my adult life.  Still, whenever I have had opportunity to visit Victoria and travel up and down the Island, I always feel like I am experiencing a homecoming of sorts.  The Island is where I spent my childhood, my teen years, and two years of university before I married the love of my life and returned to Calgary to settle permanently.  I have been a landlubber in Alberta since 1979, raising my family, and enduring the long, harsh winters there.  The getaway to visit parents, friends and family on Vancouver Island has become an almost yearly trek.  It is our annual reprieve from the cold of February and March in Alberta, to embrace Spring in all its glory there on the Island.  I drink in all the green, the budding trees, the crocuses and daffodils that grow like weeds everywhere I look.  I want the sights and smells to imprint themselves on my psyche, so I can recall them vividly when I again return to my Albertan home still in the throes of winter.

Last year, we did not go to the Island.  In April last year I was experiencing a myriad of strange aches and pains that was eventually diagnosed as endometrial cancer.  Spring was all but forgotten as I fought and battled up to Christmas.  During the darkest of those days, when the battle seemed almost overwhelming, I wasn’t sure I would ever experience another spring.  I felt the icy fingers of winter engulf me, even in the heat of summer.  I tried to remain positive, leaning on God for strength through the ordeal of chemo.  Always looking towards the finish line, when I could declare the battle over, I found comfort thinking about how I would embrace life after cancer.  The first item on my “to do” list, was to plan a trip to the Island. 

Wonderment.

 It’s the best way to describe how I felt throughout that week on Vancouver Island.  Wonderment at experiencing Spring in all its glory there, but also wonderment at being fully alive, fully in the moment, battle-weary, but overwhelmingly thankful to be thriving, not just surviving once again!
 

That feeling persists. 

Coming home to wintry Alberta, I didn’t complain about leaving the green of Spring there on the Island even when I saw the white drifts of snow piled up in our driveway.  I was home.  The break from winter had been refreshing, but the familiarity and peacefulness I feel here, even being in the last grips of winter chill, warms my heart like nothing else.  I remind myself that I must bloom where I am planted.  I must bloom, survive, thrive, and embrace life for as many days, weeks, and years that God gives me.  

I can't forget that.

Even in the midst of this Covid isolation, forced quarantine, and my inability to venture out because of my compromised immunity, I remind myself that this season will pass eventually.  I long to hug on my loved ones, and my arms ache to cuddle my grandbabies once again.  Still, I continue to stay positive.  I must enjoy each day as a gift from God no matter what circumstances lay before me.  I must continue to bloom, to look to the future, and be thankful.

After all, I praise God every day that I can bloom at all!

Lynn Dove is the award-winning author, of the YA “Wounded Trilogy”- a contemporary Christian fiction series with coming-of-age themes.  A wife, mom, grandmother, and free-lance writer with articles published in several magazines and anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her blog, “Journey Thoughts” is a Canadian Christian Writing Award winner.  Readers may connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and at lynndove.com   

A Shelter in the Time of Storm by Pamela Mytroen

 A Shelter in the Time of Storm 

My phone vibrated in my pocket and whoop, whooped. "Tornado Watch. Funnel Clouds are in the area and could develop into tornadoes. Stay alert and take cover as danger escalates." I swivelled my shopping cart back to the entry of the store and parked it. Bursting out into the open area of the mall I searched for my husband. Where would we go? Where could we take cover? We were in a mall in Branson, Missouri and there was no basement. I paced back and forth in the corridor looking for him, going over my options. We could go down into the theatre, I reasoned, since it was a few steps below ground level, but still not far enough below ground to be protected from a tornado.

Finally I spotted my husband in a store across the way and I zoomed over to him. He chatted with a salesman. They had their backs to a huge window. Wind whipped the trees into arches that touched the ground, but they seemed oblivious to it all. I tugged on my husband's coat sleeve and mentioned the tornado warning that had blared through my phone. The salesman chuckled. "Oh we don't pay much attention to those warnings. They are non-stop at this time of year."

I looked at the trees bending beneath the fury of the wind, and then I glanced across to the store I had just stormed out of. People chatted, picked up merchandise, set it down, and strolled around like they were enjoying a walk in the park, even though their phones were also spewing warnings like popping corn in a theatre.

"But where would we go if there was a tornado?" I ventured, always the cautious one.

"Well, we would just crouch down, I suppose," he said in his slow drawl. He returned to his sales pitch.

I relaxed a little, seeing everybody go about their business like they were at the fair. But the next day we learned of several tornadoes, one that had left fatalities in its wake and of another one close by that had devastated a city.

It's true that when you live in Tornado Ally, you don't heed the warnings until it's too late. They are too common, too everyday to stop and take notice. On one hand people do not pay attention to warnings of imminent danger, and on the other hand, I seem to create imaginary situations to worry about as I think about my family, my job, and my health.  My pendulum swings to the worry extreme while other's pendulums swing to the careless and carefree side. While some people die of a tornado by not heeding the dire warnings, I might die of high blood pressure by worrying about situations that are barely a fist-sized cloud in the sky.  


The stress from my job and family situations had been building like black angry clouds, and swirling into tornadoes of anxiety. After much prayer, the Lord showed me that I was trying to meet everyone's expectations, which was impossible. He showed me that I needed a new mind-set. He whispered that it was okay to fail, to do my best and to stop striving. While I still tend to shoulder people's troubles, I'm learning to push my computer chair away from the desk, and take a break from the never-ending lesson planning. I'm learning to stop thinking about what could happen to my job with a new manager coming on board; I am learning to let go of the sky-high expectations my students place on me; I'm learning to fail and accept that I can't be perfect and I can't please everyone. I'm learning to stop worrying about my family, and their health, and be thankful instead. Switching one set of thoughts for another takes  self-discipline. I am amazed at the freedom and the space in my mind that was once taken up by stress and anxiety.

My daughter texted me as I was writing my blog and said that her two-year old dropped a can of Pepsi on his bare foot. She thinks his toe might be broken. Off she goes with her children into town on unplowed gravel roads while the snow is coming down. I could worry but I'm letting it go. I can't take on the burden. Instead, I find myself saying, "Thank you Lord for my daughter being a good mother. Thank you for doctors being available and for the wisdom they have. Thank you for watching over them."

As much as it takes concentration and hard work as I pour myself into my jobs and ministries, I find it takes far more focus and strength to shut down my OCD brain, to back away, take a break, call my friends, take time for coffee, and to intentionally focus on beautiful and praise-worthy things.

So today, in the midst of storms because there is always a storm brewing somewhere, I choose to be thankful. To be balanced. To hunker down and "take cover" when need be  - whether my grandson's toe is throbbing or my job is in jeopardy - and then to continue on my way, with His peace and joy. He is my shelter in the time of storm.


"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind," Romans 12:2b.

Pamela Mytroen

   

Thankfulness - Guest Post by Bryan Norford

It’s all too easy to complain, isn’t it? Yet at the same time, we long for contentment. Complaint and contentment are incompatible. And the truth is, we have far more to be thankful for than to complain about.

But isn’t it simplistic to say the supreme gratitude for the abundant life in Christ we have now, outranks complaint of any person or problem that comes our way. Of course, if we fail to express thankfulness, it will seem simplistic.

The supreme value of thankfulness, is it’s ability to raise us up to the place where we belong, seated with the Father in heavenly places. Without it, we wallow in the dirt of earth, often seeking contentment in the surrounding environment. The world offers nothing but fading hope.

Godliness with contentment is great gain (1Tim. 6:6). Real contentment is impossible without fellowship with God. And that is based on our thankfulness to Him. God’s will for us in Christ is: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

Humankind declines into a futile mind and a darkened heart when lacking two essentials: recognizing God’s glory and thanking Him (Rom. 1:21). So commences a downward spiral. The reverse process leads to an opposite conclusion.

Acknowledging God’s eternal power and nature and giving Him thanks raises us above our earthly problems and pursuits, to a place of pervading joy that dominates the changing scenes of life. Thankfulness brings contentment by changing our attitudes to an unpredictable life.

My necessary prayer is to thank God for wife and family, food, clothing, shelter in abundance, a soft chair and a warm bed. Despite encroaching prostate cancer, I still have sufficient health, strength, and the ability to write. I have contentment where I am.

May 2017 be a year of renewed thankfulness for the continuing daily provision from His hand, the abundant life promised, and the eternal life to come.

Praise in the Storm - Eunice Matchett

This morning I awoke to a Neuralgia flare-up, a neurological condition that has taken up residence in my brain for many years. My head throbbed, feeling like a giant pimple not quite ready to be popped, but regardless, something or someone was squeezing it. Waking up in this state is not new or surprising, but what makes today a trifle different is, I must write a blog post on thankfulness.

As I stared at my screen trying to gather my thoughts the letters and icons across the top turned into bright stars doing a square dance all over the page. My eyes drifted closed and I leaned back in my chair. Within seconds a beautiful old hymn floated into my thoughts—I see the stars—I hear the rolling thunder—Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Immediately I was reminded of how small and insignificant I am, yet my Heavenly Father took time to nudge me into refocusing my mind. Gratitude overflowed, and I recalled a few of the many blessed moments in my life.

It overwhelms me knowing that our great and mighty God gave me the privilege of growing up in a home where godliness was a way of life. Sunday School was not an option, and I am thankful for those Sunday afternoons because it was in that small group I committed my life to Christ.

I am grateful for my children and grandchildren, my brothers and sister, my church family and my writing family. I am thankful I live in a country where freedom is a reality. It may be cold at times, but I have a warm house and my cupboards and fridge are always full. When I’m lonely, friends or entertainment are only a click away. My eyes don’t work very good anymore, but I have an active imagination that can fill in details I can not see.

 It would be nice to say that throughout my mini praise the pain in my head lessened but that is not so. It hurts big time but it no longer controls my feelings. For this I’m grateful because by changing the direction of my thoughts I was able to complete this post. I am also grateful for my soft comfy bed I’m about to curl up in until my head returns to normal. While I’m being thankful for big things, I’m reminded of the small day to day blessings I find myself taking for granted. For example, my four kitties, Beebins, Oliver, Athena, and Bentlee who will curl up around me, their soft purrs and unconditional love always bringing me comfort.

Satisfied I’d done all I could for this post, I clicked on the save icon and that beautiful old hymn once again filled my thoughts. Then sings my soul—My Savior God to Thee—how great Thou art.

Thankfulness in Every Season by Nina Faye Morey

I will extol the LORD at all times;

His praise will always be on my lips.

Psalm 34:1 (NIV)

In his Psalm of praise, David vows to always give glory to the Lord. No matter the time or season of our lives, we should never cease to honour Him and give Him thanks and praise (Psalm 106:1).

Give Thanks to the Lord

I find it easy to be grateful to the Lord for most aspects of our changing prairie seasons. I even enjoy the sound and fury of a sudden thunderstorm on a hot summer day. However, I find it more difficult to maintain this thankful attitude during winter’s storms. I really don’t appreciate the frigid temperatures or icy sidewalks that keep me indoors. However, there are mornings when I wake up to find that my little corner of the world has been magically transformed into a winter wonderland. I’m treated to a spectacular view of a world adorned with sparkling snow and hoarfrost. Then my spirits lift once more. I find myself thanking God and echoing His Word that all His creation is good (Genesis 1:31).

God’s Glorious Creation

Like the seasons of nature, I sometimes find it difficult to be thankful through all the seasons of my life. Just as the turn of seasons causes some of nature’s fiercest storms, we face our stormiest times during major life changes—illness, death, divorce. I may not have control over these stormy phases, but I do have control over how I react to them. I can call on the Lord, or I can choose to turn my back on Him. Even though I may not always understand God’s ways, I need to trust in Him.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on you own understanding;

In all your ways submit to him

and he will make your paths straight.

Prov. 3: 5-6

So although it’s sometimes hard to remain thankful through the stormy seasons of my life, I’m assured that I can stand firmly on the solid rock of God’s promises. He will provide me with stability and strength despite the shifting sands beneath my feet. If I trust in the Lord, I can be assured that He loves me and hears my cries for help. He sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us in times of trouble (Romans 8: 31-39). He will hear my prayers and come to my rescue, giving me a firm foothold once more in the midst of my emotional turmoil.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62: 7-8

No matter what negative things are presently occurring in my life, I can be confident that God is working to turn them into something positive. Just as He works in the natural realm to transform a bitter winter into a winter wonderland, He works in the spiritual realm to transform the bad into the good.

And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been

called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

When I get discouraged during life’s storms, I remember David’s advice to always give thanks and praise to the Lord. Accepting that God’s in control of my future lifts my spirits and brings peace to my heart. If I remain focused on my faith, I know God will have something wonderful in store for me on the other side of the storm (Col. 3:15-17).

My Spirits Lift Once More