Thankful Thursday

On this Thankful Thursday, I'm thankful that God sees and hear everything...that all I need to do is call on Him when I am in trouble and He will hear and respond accordingly. I'm thankful for the faithfulness of God and as the Psalmist instructs, I will commit to make thankfulness my sacrifice.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Cultivating a grateful spirit

A couple days ago, I had another small 'life lesson'...As I mentioned previously, my life goal is to reside in a place where I am not afraid, worried or the least bit concerned about sharing what I have with others because I am cognizant of who I am (child of the King) and ALL I have access to. In other words, there is no need for stingyness.

Now this may sound very noble, but until recently, I lived in almost the opposite manner. My attitude was that I needed to be cautious with what I had (and how I shared it out), because I had to store up for a "dry day". You know, that day in the foreseen future when I may find myself with nothing...and at this point, when I have nothing (or run out) I can dig in my closet/pocket/refrigerator and pull out the life-line! Without getting too "holier-than-thou", this kind of thinking is quite Anti-Christian considering I am professing to serve the God of the Universe. The Creator, the One who owns all and is above all. After all, He is the One who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" (commonly quoted scripture -Psalm 50:10).

Anyway, to the story: I am at work (summer job that I am grateful for) and it is lunch time. I only prepared sufficient lunch for one person (me) and the typical Gia does not share food. I just don't. I'm always hungry and when I get full, I feel the need to save what I don't eat...for that next moment of hunger. Anyhoo, without even being asked (or thinking twice), I offer my plate to a friend for her to share my meal. I knew that after sharing, I was probably going to still be hungry but it just wasn't that big of a deal. [Side note: Thank God for growth in seemingly small areas.] Anyway, less than 1/2 hour after eating my share of the food, I get a call to come for food. And not just any food...some good good yummy Bahamian food. As I returned to my desk with the food in my hand, I could only smile to myself and say "Thank You Lord". The story doesn't stop there, an hour later, I get another call...and I am invited to join in a mini-feast with dessert!

On this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for the abundance of food...I have food in my fridge and cupboards and  beyond that, I have access to places (restaurants, grocery store, semi-fertile land) that I can obtain nourishing food from. I also commit to continue to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness and maintain an open hand so that for every blessing I receive, I freely give!

I am definitely a work in progress in so many areas, but it feels good when I get it "right"...cause I know when I do, I make God smile and that makes me giddy on the inside. :-)

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Grateful that His love endures forever!

I have been following another blog and last week they started a challenge: 21 Days of Gratitude. For whatever reason, I haven't officially committed to this challenge but because I have read the daily posts, I have been keenly aware (and convicted) every time I open my mouth to complain. It has been a very interesting struggle within my mind. In all honesty, I love it. As I mentioned before, I embrace growth, even though it often hurts and I am really looking forward to a more grateful me.

Now, as with most things in life, the events tend to overlap. My bible reading a couple days ago was from Psalm 136, here are the first 5 verses..

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.

His faithful love endures forever.

As I read this, I couldn't help but notice how the Psalmist was doing a couple things- first, he recognized and thanked God for who He is and what He has done and then, almost as a reminder, but most likely as a 'chorus' for a song, he then stated that "His faithful love endures forever".

The Psalm goes on for 26 verses and as I came to the end, I thought, I could personalize this. So today, I'm here to share and encourage you to find another reason to thank God!

• I give thanks to the Lord that I am privileged to experience life with all five senses (thanks Schantal). His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for a cadre of supportive family and friends who make life meaningful and exciting. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for freedom: of speech, of worship, and of thought. I can publicly do this without recourse. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord that even if I didn't have this freedom of worship, and if I were to be punished with death for declaring His praises that there is a home for me in Heaven with Him! His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for health, breath, and daily bread. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for my husband, who not only loves but also supports me. His faithful love endures forever.
• I give thanks to the Lord for making me - me!...and completely loving me as He made me. His faithful love endures forever.

I could go on and on and on but I'll end just how the Psalmist ended...

I give thanks to the God of Heaven because His faithful love endures forever!!!

Grace, peace and love,
Gia

supa dupa big check

so I don't know if this wordless wednesday thing is gonna work for me, because when I'm comfortable, I talk A LOT and since this is my little spot, I'm quite comfortable and always have something to write about!
...I should add that the pic with me hugging the tree in "silly Gia" fashion was quite expressive of how giddy I felt yesterday when I ......

PURCHASED MY TICKET!!!!

So I am a confirmed passenger on the flight leaving Nassau to Canada on September 3rd.


A great supa dupa big check in my preparations for this project: Operation Grad School. can you tell I'm excited??? I'm also very very grateful to have found a great deal and have this important step done!!!





Now if I can only get my husband to book his while the prices are still fairly reasonable. and in true bargain shopper fashion, I snagged the one-way ticket at the lowest I've seen since I began the search!!!!


enjoy this THANKFUL thursday! smooches