Thankful Thursday - His Goodness to Me

 If I am being honest with myself I struggled yesterday.  I was hearing the news and getting upset about what I saw happening. Then I got on social media and began hearing a different story from friends who attended the rally. They said that they were on their way home and saw a crowd moving to riot. Some of my friends actually tried to stop them before they got to the building. 

So frustrating to hear the differing stories. I eventually had to just get off the internet. I ended up snuggling with Caleb and watching cooking. Once he went to bed I stayed up and read a book.  I think I watched a couple minutes of the coverage throughout the whole day. I purposed in my heart to not put it in front of my eyes.

This morning I woke up and was just weary. Weary from the pain I have been dealing with and weary from what has been going on in our country. The one thing I was looking forward to was getting up and spending time with the Lord. Now, I want you to know that I struggle every day with getting up. Especially in the winter, I hate throwing back the covers and putting my nice, warm feet on the cold floor. Sometimes when I wake up I know that it is going to be a day with high pain levels. I really don't feel like getting up. It is only through praying and crying out to God that I am able to get up. 

The fact that He is continually teaching me and encouraging me when I meet with Him makes me want to get up each morning but I am naturally NOT a morning person.

This morning God encouraged me so much in my time with Him. 

I had told Carl how excited I was to read my devotional this morning as I was finally going to read one by a name I recognized. Jonathan Edwards. When I read what he wrote it was like God wrapping his arms around me and giving me a hug. 

Here is what he wrote:

"Contention, heat of spirit, evil speaking, and things of like nature, are directly contrary to the spirit of Christianity, and do, in a peculiar manner, tend to drive away God's Spirit from a people, and to render all means of grace ineffectual. as well as to destroy a people's outward comfort and welfare. Let me therefore earnestly exhort you as you would seek you own future good hereafter, to watch against a contentious spirit (1 Peter 3:10-11).

However wrong you may think others have been, maintain with great diligence and watchfulness a Christian meekness and gentleness of spirit; and labour, in this respect, to excel those who are of a contrary part.

And never think you behave yourselves as becomes Christians, except when you sincerely, sensibly, and fervently love all men, of whatever party or opinion, and whether friendly or unkind, just or injurious, to you or your friends, or to the cause and kingdom of Christ."

When an author just lists a scripture reference I always like to look it up and write it either in my journal or the margin of the book.

The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 3:10-11

It was so good for me to read that this morning. Yesterday,  I purposed in my heart to keep my lips from talking about the situation unfolding yesterday. I knew that I would be tempted to say something that would lead either myself or others to sin. I spent the day pouring into the lives of my children and yes we did talk about what was unfolding but we did so while reading the Bible and talking about living a life for Christ and what that means. 

God comforted me this morning just like He has so many mornings before. Today on Thankful Thursday I am thankful for the words that Jonathan Edwards wrote and for orchestrating the events that allowed me to read those words the very morning I needed to hear them. My prayer is that each morning as I meet with the Lord that he teaches me new things and brings comfort and peace to my soul.