Thankful: day 18

So since we're 18 days into November, the month notable of Thanksgiving, We started a 5-things-a-day list of Things that we're thankful for at the Slab last week. 

Before tomorrow morning hits, here we go:

1. Great leaders and mentors who genuinely care.

Sometimes I stop and ask myself "What now? Is God actually working through me? Am I where I need to be?" And my leaders are there to support me and remind me of God's love. I don't have to be having a good hair day to sit in front of my leaders and talk to them about life. I don't have to always answer "Good" when they ask "How are you?" Because honestly, I would be lying if I always said Good. They're there for me to open up to and to guide me. God confirms so often that my leaders and close, spiritual friends are in my life for a reason. 

2. Acoustic music. Because who In the world can go through a fall season without it?

3. God's tiny whispers of love and confirmation throughout the day, even on the rough days.

4. Warm beds. 

5. Mrs. Tucker letting the Slab use her classroom this season. She's so quirky and cool. 

Start off the day in thanksgiving, and end the day in thanksgiving.  For each day in life is truly something to be thankful for. 

I've Prepared a Place for You, Even in the Storms of Life.

The season is pressing down on me.
I can get frustrated, I can fight, cry, throw a tantrum like an angry toddler, ask why and try to run away to escape my circumstances. I can wrestle like Jacob did, because of my lack of understanding. But there's something about sitting down in the middle of the storm and accepting that the rain is pouring down. I don't know how long the storm will last, but I'm here in the middle of it and I'm going to get wet. I will sit in the storm. I will accept defeat, throw down my pride, because I'm not strong enough. I'm a tiny paint drop in this world that makes up the rest of the picture. Even still while I sit in the rain, God isn't just standing there watching me get wet and laughing at my weakness. He's made a place for me, and You. He is my shelter, my refuge and my strength. He's putting his wing overtop of me. But I wouldn't know that he's my shelter until I sat down and accepted that I'm not strong enough. I am weak and broken. I will never be enough. But he is enough for me, and he is limitless. God is outside of the confines of our minds, and for us to even try to wrap our minds around Him is impossible and foolish. I can no longer put confidence in my ability, because in my own power, I can do nothing. But through His anointing and grace, and in His power, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. I am only who I am through Him.

Tears have indeed been shed this week. Tears of stress from severe opression and persecution, and asking God those "why" questions, tears of joy and inspiration from seeing someone radically praising Jesus during our Sunday morning service for the first time in a long time, and tears of goodbyes from friends who move away one by one. But all I can say is that maybe he's carving out a place in me for more of Him. Maybe he's closing old doors and opening new ones, paving new paths and shedding a new kind of light. Maybe my next tears will be tears of thankfulness. 

Selah

It's the little things that remind us of the past, and how much we miss it. And surely because of this, better things are yet to come. So let us keep our heads up and Take a moment to Selah- To pause and ponder his greatness, and his love that we can't wrap our heads around.
It only gets better from here.