1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
This has been one of those weeks where I can't help but feel sorry for myself. I have found myself becoming more frustrated at Lilly, not able to get things done that I want to, finding reasons to be unhappy. Sound familiar? So while I was discussing all of this with Josh and looking for him to give me some words of wisdom he pointed me to the verse above. The line that keeps coming back to me at time is "give thanks in all circumstances." Instead of looking at life negatively, I am looking for reasons to be thankful. I found a few pictures below from the past few days that make me smile and give me reasons to thank God for all he has given me and the wonderful life he continues to bless me with.
I also have to add one little tidbit from today: Lilly was asleep in the car on the way home from her two year old check up (She weighs 22.8 lbs and is 32 in tall and looks perfectly healthy according to Dr. Chris.) I couldn't help but thank God for blessing our lives with such a precious little girl two years ago. I was struck with the thought that right now God has given Josh and I the responsibility to shape her spiritual life by making her aware of Christ's love for her. Yeah the ABC's are important and making sure she eats her fruits and veggies, but above that I have the responsibility as a parent to teach Lilly about love in the same way that Christ showed us. During those moments of frustration when I am reminded that she is two as she has a tantrum or doesn't want to obey, I am praying that God will fill me with love and wisdom in handling the situation before me.
Below is a picture of Lilly in one of her dress up moments reading a book.
This is what I found one day when I went in her room after her and Josh had been playing. She is fascinated with diapers and putting them on her "babies."
The weather has been beautiful, so we took advantage of one more day at the sprinkler park, while it is still on the warm side.
Friends to play with in the sprinklers.
My parents who are always there for me and even though they are far away, their love stretches over the miles.
For my wonderful husband who sees me at my worst and still loves and cherishes me unconditionally. He also loves me enough to tell me what I need to hear at times when I am giving myself a pity party. I am also thankful for the way he is a dad to Lilly, putting her above his job and taking time each day to play with her and show her how much he loves her.
Most importantly I am thankful for Christ and the way he rescued me from a life of sin and how he changed my ways, allowing me to walk with him daily.
4 comments:
Joni, I have come to love you for so many reasons. One of them being your honesty. Thank you for opening your heart and your thoughts. I am so happy to know that I am not alone in this. I will write that passage down and keep it in places that I will see it often. Josh is such a man of wisdom and love. These pictures are great. Look how blessed you are.
Thanks for your honesty. We all need that kind of reminder.
Having a two year old is hard work. it drains you of your senses sometimes, so we need a kick to get back into our Christian worldview.
Lilly is precious!
i love your transparent heart! we all have days/weeks like you've had. praying for ya'll as you raise lilly up in Christ! one of God's purposes for us as parents is to "make them disciples of Christ". what a calling and privilege is that for our lives as parents! thanks for sharing and i hope ya'll have a good long weekend! jennifer
Thanks for your post, it is just what I needed to read. I have been having a bad week, I just started back to work. It so hard to leave my Lola, but I just need to be thankful I have a job that allows me to work part time. Lilly is as cute as always, she looked like she was having so much fun in the bear store!
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