a season to give thanks!
as I sit here and reflect, I am overwhelmed by the so very many blessings I have to be thankful for. to say that I will effectively and adequately express my thankfulness for all the many blessings in my life would be to say that I can do the impossible.
well, I am going to give the impossible a shot.
first and foremost, I am thankful for the Gospel of my Lord, Jesus Christ. nothing is due my life than my Savior. the Creator of the Universe, who loves His precious children, gave the world His Son, to come and live out a life loving the Father above all else. A life that we are to follow through His spirit and strength. He loved and treasured us so much that He sent His perfect and holy Son to die in the place for all our sins. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
this glorious story does not end there. not only did Christ die for our sins, He conquered the grave and death when He rose three days later! O, death, where is your sting? Praise the Lord, O my soul!
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
the Gospel is enough. the Gospel is enough to be completely satisfied and thankful for more than this life. may my life be a reflection of Christ's love. He must increase. I must decrease. always.
crazy enough, through Christ, we are given life to the fullest. life abundantly. the Father lavishes His love on His children through the many blessings He gives.
so come one, lose your life, just so you can find it!
I am humbled, amazed, and thankful for the blessings He has given to me so graciously. He has provided me with a family who has taught me the bible and shown me His love ever since I was born. their individual walk with the Lord encourages me and sets an example for me as to how I am live my life. I am thankful for their love, encouragement, accountability, and prayers they offer day in and day out. praise the Father for my precious family!
not only has He provided me with an amazing biological family, but He has given me a family where there are no blood ties, but heart ties. I am overwhelmed when I sit back and reflect on my first semester as a freshman and how the Father has proven His faithfulness to me through the relationships He has given me. To call them friends would be inappropriate. these friends have turned into my sweet brothers and sisters and have truly provided a sense of community and family for me. I am thankful for their walk with our Father and their love for all people. to my Calvary family, thank you for pushing me closer to the Father and for giving me a place to call home at Tuscaloosa. I love y'all so very much.
new family and old family. my new family is collided with my old family from Shades and Hoovs. although things are different, I cannot overlook how blessed my heart is by my Shades and Hoover family.
Shades:
thank you for providing me a safe place to learn and grow alongside others. you have prepared me and set the stage for the rest of my life. for all your prayers, hard-work, time, and energy, I thank you. it is always a blessing to come home to a church who continues to pursue the Lord and who is taking His name to the ends of the earth. may the Father continue to bless Shades as a community of believers growing together and sharing His love to others.
you know what they say: once a Shady, always a Shady! my heart is with y'all, my Shadies.
Hoovs:
it is weird that I am looking back at my time spent here because I feel like I should still be here, not off being a "cool" (I use this word loosely) college student. to the years spent at Hoover and with the precious friends I still adore, thank you. our memories of football games, pep-rallies, dress-up days, stressing over dances, riding our scooters down the halls and being top dawg seniors will be precious to me always.
in the wise words of Don Hulin, errrrrbody have a great day! oh and Go Bucs!
Apart from all the precious relationships I have been blessed with, there are some random things that make my heart happy and I am thankful that the Father allows His children to enjoy the simple things in life.
here goes!
I am thankful for headbands and bandanas to wear in my hair, my faithful Chacos (we are going on 2 and a half years now, y'all!), Enos to relax in, Camelbaks to decorate with cool stickers, Patagonia backpacks, fake glasses to complete my hipster look, folk music and just down right good music, watches, friends who blog, my cool beans Canon camera, driving around with the windows down, pretty fall colors, cold weather, scarfs, boots, reading books by the window, walking (which leads to dancing) in the rain, whipping my hair back-and-forth, a good hug, laughter, smiles, being crafty, playing and dominating four square, attempting to play Ultimate, old yet precious hymns, Tweeting excessively, Instagraming any and everything, sunsets, jeans that fit perfectly, Chaco tan-lines, fun fingernail polish colors, long-sleeved t-shirts, spending time with my favorite people, going to concerts, singing out loud (although my friends wish I would refrain), community, joy, braided hair, school supplies, making situations awkward, late-nights, long car rides with good conversations, old journals, thrift store treasures, and making long lists...
thank you Father, for all Your many blessings. but most importantly, thank You for Your Son. may I express my thanksgiving to You with my heart and with my life. to You all honor and praise!
may you feel overwhelmingly blessed by the Father who loves you and cherishes you above everything else.
don't forget to tell the ones you love how thankful you are for them and to eat bunches and bunches of turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
bless
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