Having a Thankful and Joyful Heart

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6

I’m not a fan of the holiday season.  In fact, it’s the most common time of year I experience my depression. When I look back on my early adult years I remember feeling a lot of turmoil and chaos once my parents divorced, especially during the holidays.  So even in my adult life I still have feelings of dread when the holidays come around.

The closer I get to Thanksgiving my eyesight begins to get foggy and I fail to recognize God’s hand of blessing in my life.  I tend to focus on the negatives and let them pull me down.  At times I even find it hard to find any positives in my situation. So this year over the last month to help counteract the negatives, I decided to post my thankful list on face book.  (It was not an easy task, but very humbeling to say the least)  During this month I deliberately found things to be thankful for every day.  It was very enlightening for me and it allowed me to see how God always gives blessings even though I may not see them all the time.   Here is my Thankful list! 

1. I'm thankful for the challenges in my life. They may suck at the time, but they always make me a better person.

2. the words "I love you"

3. the sweet laughter and joy that fills my house. (Even though it's really early :)

4. kindness. Even the smallest act or word can change a day around...

5. My call as a mom to love and raise up the next generation. (Hmmm...what a scary thought:)

6. I'm thankful to live in a country were I have the freedom to vote. A country that still sings God bless America at baseball games and where patriots still fight for our liberties. Thank you to both of my brothers for serving our country.

7. I am NOT perfect. I will NEVER be perfect. I am thankful for forgiveness. It's great to forgive and it's a wonderful feeling to ask for it when I'm in the wrong (which seems to be quite often :)

8. Dogs. They are flat out amazing creatures. Love you, Miss Sadie Lou!

9. Good News!! It's so nice to hear the good stuff, because we all know there's a lot of bad stuff out there.

10. Creativity. It's such a great feeling to make something and know it came from your heart.

11. Character building moments....like being trapped in the car with my family and dog for six hours...What an adventure it's going to be!

12. As I lay here and watch my sleeping sick baby, I am thankful for the blessings given by God. I never want take them lightly and I need to realize it could be all taken away in an instant.

13. My imperfections... It's a tough thing to come to grips with as I'm slowly gaining the baby weight “once again” and my world as a mom seems to grow more challenging. But, through all of these little imperfections of my life, I know there are some perfect moments that make it all worthwhile.

14. Life. How cool is that we're actually here, in this world, living?

15. Memories. It's been a short visit to Midland, but it’s always comforting to know we've shared some great memories and one's that my girls will carry with them always.

16. Today and everyday I'm thankful for the cross.

17. I am thankful for God's often perplexing yet ultimately perfect plan in my life.

18. Words. They are literally my life line. I would not be me without them.

19. Music. It's one of those things I literally cannot live without.

20. Acceptance. I'm so thankful to those who accept me for who I am.

21. Hope. Sometimes it's hard to find, but it's always there, waiting to lift me up.

22. Patience. I don't have very much of it yet, but I'm getting better at it every day!

23. Prayers that turn into deep conversations.
24. A future in Heaven.

25. brokenness which helps me turn to the Lord.

26. women in my life so willing to mentor. Thanks to my God Mother, and many others…

27. Quality Time. When you get to spend really quality time with someone, it's sooo fantastic.

28. Sleep. There's nothing like a soft pillow and a warm blanket after a long, hard day as a mom of toddlers.

29. Plans. I love knowing that fun things are coming up. Putting plans in place is great!

30. Emotions. Sometimes it's scary to feel things deeply, but it's also very wonderful.

31. New Places. As Russell and I celebrate our fourth year in Frisco, I’m thankful I’ve been able to overcome new things and meet amazing woman in my life.  It was very scary but it’s been exciting as well.

32. A shower! It's super great when I can take one with no interruptions!

33. Strength.  I do feel like most of the time I have a lot of internal strength that I need to be thankful for.

34. Gratitude. Without it, I don't think I would be nearly as happy as I am right now.

35. I met a blind mother of five last night. What an amazing woman...Today I thank God who gave me eyes to see the beauty all around me.

36. Good conversation and wonderful friendship. There is no way I could survive without them.

37. Photos, there is nothing quite like a beautiful image to capture a moment. (My sonogram day)

38. Yea for Encouragement! So many people have supported me in my life. It always amazes me how God uses each of our different journeys to help each other. I thank God for the people he has placed in my life and those who have given me a hand in my time of need.

39. Questions. Most often one of the most exciting but busy task as a mom is answering questions.  I love the way my daughter thinks and many times I learn so much from her questions.

40. I have so many things to be thankful for but one of the biggest things is my husband. He is a phenomenal Dad and an incredible person.

Texas Pile-On

This is the first recipe I'm proud to post.  It's our famous "McBride" recipe that we use for our familly get togethers.  It's one of my all time favorites and one that will surely please "most" people. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I Thank God for good food and great friends!  There is no way I could survive without them.

Control + Alt + Delete

“I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.”
Philippians 4:13
 
Some crazy day it was! Yes, it was just one of those days. Well, I feel like I’ve had many of those lately…You know the one where you wish you could just CONTROL + ALT + Delete the entire day. I was tired and the girls were pushing every button I had. I’m pretty sure there were several times that day that I wondered if I was really cut out to be a mom. Obviously I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, but sometimes as a mother I struggle to be patient with them.
 
The more I thought about my trying day, the more I realized how Jesus must have felt during those final hours on earth. When thinking about His suffering and crucifixion, I am brought to the realization that it was only through His unwavering love for his father and all of us that made his last hours endurable. As believers, the Lord is asking us to offer our difficult times so that it can be united with His cross. Salvation comes from the cross and through the resurrection we are given new life.
 
Philippians 4:13 says “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” We are all challenged from time to time with circumstances that test the limits of our physical, emotional, and mental resources. As I continue down the path of motherhood, I know God will give me all the strength I need to fulfill his calling just as he did for his son Jesus. When I feel like my spiritual life is failing me, I am reminded to stay faithful and leave the progress in His hands. No matter what this world throws at me, it’s all going to be okay. He is always faithful and willing to walk with me through the darkest and weakest hours of my days.
 

Ultrasound of my Heart

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalm 139:23-24

One of the most amazing moments for most mothers is watching the ultrasound of their baby.   

As mentioned in my last blog, I had the opportunity to see our sweet baby boy floating peacefully with a room full of young adults. There is something unexplainable about watching the technician as she checks and makes sure all is well.   In some divine way, I felt this supernatural life working within me.  As I am going through this pregnancy, it makes me see how God must look at me on a spiritual level.

Spiritually, there are times in my life when I don’t know with certainty what is going on inside of me.  Most times, my spiritual side is working well as long as I try to empty myself so He can fill me.  Other times, some of the circumstances lead me to a negative outlook and a resentful attitude. I know there are many areas of my life as a woman, wife, and mother that I have a sinful attitude.  Some of my sinfulness runs in deeper areas of my life I cannot see, and it affects me on many levels and robs me of peace of mind. 

Psalm 139 is a beautiful prayer of permission for God to look inside of me and my spiritual condition.  This prayer helps me to look to God and ask him to help me in the areas of my life that need to be changed.  I need to let him take an “ultrasound” of my heart.  He sees things I cannot, and he knows the best treatment for the things that are wrong.  He is my divine physcian.

Help me father to empty myself in order for you to fill me with your love.  Help me to rely on you in every situation.  Help me to humble myself and acknowledge my weaknesses.  You are my creator and I am nothing without you.  Please change me and help me be spiritually healthy and content.