Blessed...Thankful...An Attitude Adjustment

Feeling truly humbled and blessed today, and thought I should blog about it. :)

I remember when I was little and I was acting bratty about something my parents would tell me I needed an "attitude adjustment." Well, that is exactly what I needed today, and after spending some QT with God (it's amazing what He'll do if we just give Him the opportunity) He dealt with my heart and straightened my tail right up.  Not that I liked it very much...who likes to be corrected??  But I am thankful, and I thought maybe someone else could benefit from what the Lord revealed to me this morning.

God wants us to have an abundant life (John 10:10), and I know it's through mercy and grace that only our Lord & Savior can give that I am so underservingly blessed beyond measure.  I really can't believe that God knows my heart and loves me anyway, but He does. 

It is so easy to focus on what we don't have...things of this world that aren't fulfilling anyway.  Bigger houses, nicer cars, designer clothes and purses, fancy vacations... It's what our society teaches us- to want more, more, more.  Not that it is an excuse or makes it acceptable for us, but I know sometimes I get caught up in materialism.  Today God reminded me that HE is all I need.  No matter the curcumstances, what "things" I have or don't have, or what issues I may be facing... whether in the valley or on the mountaintop, HE is the Lord of my life.  HE is in control, not me (whew, that's a lot easier to say than REALLY trust).  God gives us trials and tribulations so he can be glorified in them, and tells us to count it as pure joy (JOY? okay, that takes some major spiritual maturity & I'm definitely not there yet).  He allows us to experience challenges so we'll learn to depend solely on Him rather than trying to be in control and solve our own problems.  He wants us to grow, and you can't grow if you never struggle.  He uses the pressures and problems in our lives to mold us and shape us just like He did with His son Jesus, who "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8).

I think it's hard for us to deal with because many Christians believe that we are supposed to live problem-free lives...After all, Matthew 7:7 tells us to ask, seek, knock, and it will be given. Philippians 4:6 tells us to present our requests to God through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart.

But theWord does not tell us that if we accept Christ we are going to have perfect lives.  The Word tells us we ARE going to have to deal with struggles; pain, loss, death, regret, disease, temptation, disapproval, sin.  Nowhere in the Bible did it tell us that becoming a Christian means we are exempt from these things...The truth is that life is hard. God is more concerned about glorifying Himself than solving my problems. He has a purpose for everything that we go through, and it is all part of the santification process.  Fortunately, our hope and joy comes from the fact that we have a mighty Lord right there during all of this as a "very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1) and that His "grace is sufficient" (2 Cor 12:7-10).  What comfort and peace knowing that?!!

Thank you, Lord, for all of these gentle reminders.  Thank you for directing my path.  Thank you for all of your blessings.  Thank you for loving me.

 In all things, give thanks.

 

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." -Psalm 100:4

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."  -Psalm 107:1

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thess 5:18