Hello my Avid readers. How are you? I pray this finds you well. I wanted to report to you that I am doing very well. I wanted also to let you know that I am going to start writing to you weekly. If you choose to subscribe, you will be emailed each time I write. So please stay tuned as I want to start writing to you more often. I plan to keep these writings shorter in nature. So thank you for your patience as I figure out all this. I want to keep it exciting!
James 1 is a chapter I memorized as a 5th grader in school. No matter how many times I read it, I always walk away with something new. The thing about being continually thankful is that perseverance comes from having trials. This then produces endurance. Being continually thankful doesn’t depend on how well your life is going at the moment. Happiness is not the same as joy. Happiness is temporal, but joy means you can lift up your hands to praise God no matter the circumstance.
Recently I was away from home for almost 3 months of time. I struggle with bipolar 1 disorder and for part of the time I was away from home, I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to make any good decisions. As a result of my circumstance and bad decisions, I was alienated from my family. So I couldn’t perform the duties I love so well of wife and mom. Then, toward the end of my stay away from home, I was so exacerbated with the situation and so desperate for hope of any kind, that I then turned to my Savior. He lifted me out of my sinkhole to higher ground. Hallelujah, my Savior lives!
I want to leave you with one last thought. I would love to say that I have mastered the art of being thankful or that I’ve been through enough crud to learn how to continually lift my face to the cross, but reader, how foolish would that be? The moment you find yourself turning your hands up to the Savior, recognize how helpless you are without Him. Real faith is grown from many exacerbating times, from times like mine in which I realized I desperately needed Him to live . When the enemy gets in your head to make you falter, reader, just smile and laugh why don’t you?! You serve the King of Love. He will never let you down and will help you be thankful in everything.
July 22, 2017
Hi, Becky. The blogsite will not let me subscribe. Are you able to subscribe Margy and me?
markvanbever@gmail.com
mlvb@bellsouth.net
July 23, 2017
Thank you for your encouraging thoughts; this is, indeed, a good length for in-depth thinking.
I loved hearing about your remembrances of James 1 from school. Our church has been reading James’ letter together all summer, and this morning our pastor ended his thoughts on 4:13 – 5:8 with Peter’s encouragement in 1 Peter 5:10, “And after we have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” – That took me back to your last week’s blog, too.