Good day! I’m sorry this week’s post is a day late. I’ve been battling a little cold and swamped with schoolwork BUT y’all are a priority and I’m not about to lost my “streak.”
Today’s post is about thanking God. He has given us so much it’s not even possible to explain. The life we can now live because of what He’s done inspires awe and admiration for like ever and ever. I don’t know guys. For me, it’s like this. I don’t deserve anything that He’s given to me. The grace and mercy and love and protection and guidance has been so evident in so many different parts of my life is just, so hard to comprehend. I’ve never done anything right at all. I’ve never done anything to earn or deserve the love that He pours out on me every day. But I’ve come to understand that He hasn’t given it to us because we can pay Him back but because He is so full of love for us that it spills over and washes us and cleanses us. It’s His heart to bless us.
And in turn then my heart is reminded over and over what a life I should be living. A life of joy and overflowing with gratitude. I want so hard for that love to shine through and bless those around me.
It was my birthday two weeks ago and it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t have a big birthday party or lots of people. But I spent the day with my family. It blessed my heart so much. We had breakfast that my dad made and then went to church and listened to God’s word. Afterward we came home and had a little lunch before heading to the local hockey rink for a public ice skate. It was really lots of fun and the sounds of the blades cutting into the ice and the cold nipping my nose and all the girls in skirts (we think there was a catholic school visiting that day) made me grin.
I got an hour and 10 minutes of PE and enjoyed it a lot.
After skating we got some pizza and came home, had dinner all together and laughed. My mom made her world famous (they are AMAZING) chocolate chip cookies and also this cool dessert that she learned to make called Penna Cotta and we enjoyed the dessert. Afterward we went through my memories box and looked over the last 19 years of my life. Having my family by my side and not another person around, simply loving each other and being together, it made my heart happier than anything else really. Afterward we watched a home video of when we went to Disneyland and then headed to bed.
That birthday was one of the most special birthday’s I’ve had in my life. It was, special. I felt so loved and overwhelmed with the amazingness of the family that God has given me. It wasn’t a big party with decorations and invitations and gifts galore, but I wanted to make sure that my family knew how much this simple day had meant to me.
I spent that evening writing notes to each of my family members telling them the little things I appreciated about them, and things that I appreciated that they’d done for me that day. Looking back at how my life has been shaped by each one of my sisters and by mom and dad it was just like, crazy. I don’t even know. I was blessed out of my socks.
I have been wanting to write this post for a while, about thanking God by thanking others. It’s been in a draft form for a long long time, and after my birthday I knew I was ready to write it.
Guys, praising and worshiping God goes beyond singing. When we pray, we express our thanks with our words, and when we sing we express it with our hearts. When we serve others we express out ultimate thanks to God through our actions. Saying a genuine, real thank you to someone is one of the simplest ways that you can serves someone.
Today, I challenge you to find some time, maybe right after you finish reading this post. Find a person that has effected your life in a positive way. Someone who has pointed you in the right direction, encouraged you when you were down, or simply came alongside during a hard time and helped carry the load. Maybe it’s something they don’t know they’ve done for you, or maybe they do it every day, and you always seem to take it for granted. Thank them. Write a note, detailed and genuine and honest. Maybe, if you have the ability, buy them their favorite drink, or take them out for a coffee. Sometimes the best thing is to come up to them and look them in the eye and tell them with your own voice “thank you.” Let them know that they are appreciated, and that God has used them to bless you.
God is blessed when we bless others, and the things we do in life, even though we can never ever repay Him for the price He’d paid for us and for the love that He pours out on us, they touch His heart and bless Him.
Thank someone today.
Live, Laugh, and Love
~Libby
Great post, my dear!!!! What you said is so true. Giving a thank you to others is SO encouraging to that other person and they see what you’re doing for them!!! Giving people happiness and that little burst of joy is something we can do! Thanks for this reminder! Love you so much!!!