Thankful

What a beautiful day to express thanks for life and love and family and friends and everything.

Dear Lord, my cup overflows. Thank you for providing me with a husband who has a vigor and an excitement for life. Each day he wakes up he is ready to make an impact for you. I can see it in his eyes. Thank you that his strengths are my weaknesses. Thank you that we balance each other out in every single way. Thank you that Jake’s positive attitude and readiness to ‘step out of the boat’ rubs off on me. Thank you for giving me a husband who loves you, and reads your word, and talks with me about you, and prays with me, and walks his life as such a great leader for our family. Thank you that my husband backs up his beliefs with action and spurs me to do the same.

Thank you Lord that you are my trust. Every day I come up with a new worry about my children. Thank you that I can give my worries to you, and know that I am not in this parenting thing alone. They are your children, and you will teach me how to raise them. Thank you for the precious smile I get in the morning when I get Jayla out of her crib. Thank you for the way she sweetly pats me on the back as we walk out to sit by the fireplace and begin the day. Thank you for the way JJ can instantly put a smile on my face by his utter goofiness, or unmatched sweetness. Thank you that I get to hear the words, “You want to play with me mommy?” What a precious boy you have given me. Thank you, Lord that I get to stay at home with my children each day. Thank you that I never have to miss a single moment with them in these tender years. Thank you for allowing my dream of being a mom to come true.

Lord, I am humbled and thankful for the way you have used us to start your work in Ghana. Your power and your faithfulness have spoken so loudly to me in this adoption journey . Thank you for the way you have grown my faith through this. I’ve learned so much in the past year. Thank you for teaching me that my insecurities are sins, because I am not trusting in you. Thank you for showing me how to blindly follow you, even when I can’t see that the outcome is going to be good. Thank you for whispering to me along the way that I can trust you with every detail. Even the smallest ones that nobody else cares about or thinks about but me. Thank you for the way you encourage me in your word when I feel beat down by this world, by people’s opinions and perceptions. Thank you for speaking through me when I don’t have the words, or when I want to scream instead of be nice. Thank you Lord that you didn’t lie and say it would be easy to follow you. Thank you that instead you’ve promised to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path as I make my way through this world that is not my home.

Thank you Lord that you have the perfect child picked out for us for our adoption. Thank you that I can trust you to lead us to him, and that I can choose not to worry. Thank you for providing me with friends who have walked this adoption path. I am so encouraged by them, and that they always know just what to say, and when to say it.

Thank you, Lord for surrounding me with friends who are also following after you. When I look around it amazes me that you have given me friends who are in my exact age and stage of life, who are taking the path that leads to you. I get so excited for Thursday mornings when I get to meet up with these friends you have given me. I so look forward to trucking through your word with them. What a beautiful thing it is to be able to share in the joys and struggles of life, and to be comforted and encouraged by those who’s hearts belong to Jesus. I often think about what it will be like someday when we are in heaven, worshiping you at your throne. How cool that will be to look to my right and to my left and see my brothers and sisters there in your presence.

Most of all, thank you Lord for opening my eyes and my heart to your glorious truth. Thank you for the hidden treasures in your word that can only be found through digging in. Thank you that I can read your word and understand it. Thank you for the way you have so filled me up that I can’t help but now pour you out to others. Thank you for the opportunities you have given me to share my faith, and my hope, and my certainty in you.

Your love never fails. Your word never fails. Your promises are never broken. For these things I am so thankful.

John 1:16
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.