BLESSINGS OF THE DAY!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

(1 Chronicles 16:34)

We hear - and talk - a lot about having a heart of gratitude, and I do my best to be mindful of all of the blessings in my life. But as much as I like to think that I have a grateful heart, I know that I fall short. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of day-to-day tasks, that I all too often don't take time to stop and count my blessings. So today, I want to do just that!

Here is a small sampling of THE BLESSINGS OF TODAY:

TODAY - Yes, today is a gift in and of itself!

Being unconditionally loved by the Everlasting Father, and counted a friend of the Creator of the Universe

Having a loving husband, who provides for mine and my family's every need

Being entrusted with the care of three wonderful children who inspire me to strive to be better than I am

Friends who support and encourage, challenge and comfort

Clutter that stems from having too much stuff, for that means that I have been given more than I need

Clothes that are becoming too tight, because that means that I have more than enough food to eat

Finalizing ticket orders to take a group of church women to Women of Faith 2010

Jeff returning home safely from an out-of-town business trip

A phone call from my daughter, Kelly, saying she is coming home tomorrow (Friday) for the weekend

Dinner out with my parents and my two boys

Sending out encouragement cards, because it means that I have friends to care for

The phone call from my son's class mom confirming that I will be helping in the classroom for their fall party, because I'm reminded of how fortunate I am to be able to be home with him and share in activities like these with him

Auto repair expenses, for that means that we have reliable transportation

Always full laundry baskets, for it means that my family and I have clothes to wear

My son, Walter, learning from some bad decisions, and working hard to fulfill his commitments and to find his passion, and for direction for after high school graduation

Never-ending to-do lists of household chores, needs, and repairs, for that means we have a home

The alarm clock going off way too early, because it means that I have things to do and purposes yet to fulfill; I am alive!

Hugs and kisses from my "baby" boy, Kevin

Staying up way too late to share my heart on this blog!

I'm sure I've forgotten one or two HUNDRED blessings from today. But just think how great our days would be, no matter what we're facing, if we took a few minutes every day to thank God for the many blessings He gives us each day! And remember, just as in my list above, the "little" blessings of the day are blessings just the same. And frankly, when we really get down to it, it's those "little" blessings that turn out to be the greatest blessings of all!

I pray that you, too, will take some time to give thanks to the Lord, for He truly is good; His love really does endure forever!!!

Love and Blessings to you!

Kim

CHANGES & CHALLENGES, FAITH & OBEDIENCE!

Yes, it's been another very long gap between postings! I guess I'm not really made for this blogging stuff, huh?! But I keep plugging away (or I'm just too dumb to quit - or have too much invested to stop!) :) There are so many things that I think of throughout my days to write about (I guess that's what happens when you wait two months between postings!).

One thing that's been on my heart a lot lately, though, is how God uses every single thing that we go through with Him for good. I've heard, and repeated often, that God will use the challenging things we go through either for our benefit or in order to help someone else down the road. Those words sound great, and I truly believe them... but living them is so much more exciting, and rewarding!

First let me say that I do realize that facing the challenges in the first place is not always an easy task. If you've read any of my postings, you know that the Lord has called me to make a lot of changes in my life, especially over the last several months. You may have also read that most of those changes were very hard for me to make (admittedly they were harder to make because of my fear of surrendering everything to God, but that's beside the point!). Add to that a couple of months of unfavorable mammograms, ultrasounds, a biopsy, and lots of waiting. Throw in the "normal" challenges that come with having a sophomore in college, a high school senior, and a kindergartener. Now sprinkle in some day-to-day experiences of married life. I think you get my point... while we may know that we are doing the right thing and that we are never alone, challenges are not always easy to face!

But... looking back on what came from those experiences puts those same challenges in a whole new light! For most of the things I just mentioned, it was very obvious to me at the time that God's hand was in every one of those situations (and it was only because my eyes chose not to see Him in the ones that weren't obvious to me because I know He was in those, too). Now, however, I can see that not only was God in those situations at the time, but He also took those situations and used them in whole new ways down the road.

It has become clear to me that, while God can use everything for good, it is in those challenging times or times where we need to step out in faith that God will use our testimony to impact others the most. You see, I had no doubt that God was calling me to make some pretty significant changes in my life; I had never felt the Lord's presence so strong in my life or heard His voice so clearly before (which, obviously, should be a great thing... and it was). At the same time, though, I felt as though I was in a world of total chaos all of the time; I don't know how to explain it, but there was also a peace amidst that total chaos (you may have heard me refer to that as "spiritual schizophrenia"!).

One of those big changes for me was the call to enroll in a Ministerial Study Program (MSP). This was not easy for me to swallow to say the least - I am the last person that I would have ever envisioned doing something like this! And by the way, the call for me to do this came only AFTER I took the step of faith to give up my full-time business and stay home with my son. I had no idea why God was so clearly telling me to leave my business, and I fought His direction to do so for more than six months. Almost immediately after I made that decision, though, is when God gave me the next step (a little - no a BIG lesson on faith!). One quick side note to beginning the MSP... I in no way believed that I was capable of getting through this program (and there are times that I'm still not sure). But a key point that I've learned along the way is that the purposes of God are not based on our ability, but on His ability to work through us. Once you decide to trust the Lord and obey, He will trust you with the resources and power to do the work. And once you are obedient to Him, you will know His presence like never before!

It has only been recently that I've begun to feel comfortable sharing with people that I am in the MSP; it was very difficult for me to tell anyone else about it before because quite frankly I couldn't really believe it myself. Lately, though, there have been several times that the Lord has opened doors for me to reach someone else by sharing my experiences from the MSP. And every time, these have opened other doors for me to really minister to them in a very personal way. And remember those challenges I mentioned along the way, the times that required a step of faith in the face of fear? Those are the very things that I believe spoke to those people the most. Sometimes we don't know why we're on a certain road with God until somewhere down the road; but we must begin that journey with Him knowing that He is in control and that He will never abandon us.

If you are a follower of Jesus, I think it is only natural for you to seek the Holy Spirit's presence in your life. But we must realize that desiring the Holy Spirit also means that we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Spirit is given to each one of us in order to equip us to do God's will, and surrender our own will, no matter where He may lead. Scary stuff, huh?! Well, it would be if we had to go where God tells us on our own; but we could never do it on our own... and we don't have to! Each small step of faith is a giant step of growth. And with growth, often comes growing pains. When we are obedient in the small steps of surrender, God will continue to prepare us to take those bigger leaps of surrender down the road. And you know what that means... more changes, more challenges, more steps of faith... more opportunities to share what God is doing in our lives, more lives changed, more blessings... let's just say more God!

I am so thankful for all of the gifts that God has given me - the gifts of changes and challenges, as well as the gifts of sharing His gifts with others! I pray that with each step that the Lord asks me to take, I will not only take that step in faith, but that He will open my eyes to the opportunities He gives me to help others to trust Him and begin walking with Him in faith as well.

While I would never wish anything bad on you, I do pray that your days will be filled with changes and challenges, that you will respond in faith and obedience, and that you will receive the Lord's blessings in ways you could never even begin to imagine!

With Love and Prayers!

Kim