Thankful Thursdays

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

Today I am thankful for:

• Hope, and that by the power of the Holy Spirit I can abound in the hope that comes from believing in God... what a wonderful thing hope is!
• Joy and peace, and that we can have those even in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances all because of our relationship with Jesus!
• The power of the Word of God! This past weekend and earlier this week I felt very heavy with despair. I found some time on Monday evening to spend some lengthy time with God and in His Word, and He lifted that cloak of despair from me! Praise Him! I do still have times of sadness and get emotional, but that overwhelming feeling of despair has been lifted!
• God's provisions for us, He continues to provide graciously for our needs and even for some desires, what a wonderful Heavenly Father we have! This week He has provided us with a free meal out and me with a free babysitter so I could join some friends for lunch and shopping this week!
• The funny things my children say. David looked at me with a very serious face the other night at dinner while holding up a carrot and said, "Mommy, this is too expensive to eat." It was hilarious, and no he did not get out of eating his carrot.
• Lazy days... we are having one today and so far it has been wonderful. It is overcast and foggy outside, the boys slept late and so did I (which is very unusual for me), then they came and snuggled in bed with me, we had breakfast, played go-fish, and now they are painting masterpieces!
• My friends here in blogworld, you all have been such a blessing to me with your emails and your comments, many of your kind words came just when I needed them. Thank you for reaching out to me in my time of heartache and grief... I feel I have been ministered to more by my blogging friends than by people I physically know, God has used you to meet a need in my life, the need to know that someone cared, and I thank you for that!
• The release of stress that comes with exercise! It has been wonderful to get out and run in the cool air this week!
• Hot chocolate on a cold afternoon... yummy (It is even extra yummy with an ande's mint melted in it!)
• The completion of my study of Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, with some precious young girls. We finished our study of the book last night by sharing something the Lord has taught us or done in our lives through the time of this study. It was a sweet time. Next week we have a party complete with food!

So what are you thankful for today? No matter what is going on in your life, no matter how hard, or how heartbreaking it is, you can still find things to be thankful for if you lift your eyes up to Him, I am proof of that this week. I encourage you to stop and make your own list of things you are thankful for, then head on over to Grace Alone to see what others have found to be thankful for!