Thankful Thursdays

Link-ups haven't been my thing.  I follow several, and really appreciate a few of them.  (Hey, who doesn't enjoy reading everyone's answers to the Wednesday Hodgepodge?) 

When I read Thankful Thursdays, however, I realized how I need to spend more time practicing gratitude (instead of constantly complaining about grad school).

I really am thankful for a ton of things--most of which revolve around God's provision in my life.  I've always been drawn to His identification as Jehovah Jireh.  I can't tell you why specificially, but the picture of God as provider is a deeply intimate image.

When BigBro and SILSheena moved, I grieved.  It's difficult to find friends; it's even more difficult to find couple friends--especially ones that don't require a trial period in which you dance around what you really are in hopes of sucking them in before they finally get to know you.  But without much difficulty, God pushed us through the doors of our church and directly into the laps of PastorJosh and Courtney.  They haven't been a replacement for BigBro and SILSheena (how would that even be possible?!), but they've filled a hole in our lives.  I'm so grateful for their easy personalities and tendencies to laughter.

And this has been an interesting time of re-learning things I had known and pushed to the back of my consciousness--like that God desires intimacy with us.  Like that God will give wisdom to any to ask and believe He will provide.  Like I really enjoy spending time in the Word and singing as loud as possible in my car. 

In the James:  Mercy Triumphs study, Beth Moore reminded us (quickly, it wasn't the point of the lesson) that her mind was so broken she had to rehabilitate it with scripture.  Clearly, this is something I've been lacking--but God is tenderly reminding me of things I know and pushing me beyond the the track I tend to circle to a new understanding of who He is.  Every Sunday sermon has been another lesson in bending my knee to His authority.  This season of waiting has been a reminder that God will redeem anything to bring glory to Himself.

In addition, I'm thankful God has given me Favorite (even when I don't deserve him) and has given us time to spend together.  And since I don't want to waste it, I'll check in with you tomorrow :)