Thankful

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:18

This is a post that I have intended to write for a while now. About 10 days to be exact. Actually, maybe more. Lately, I have felt the Lord speak into me from several places that I need to be taking time to be thankful. To take account of the ways that the Lord has blessed me. To remember the things that He has done and praise Him with thanksgiving. The Bible tells us often to do those things - both to remember and to be thankful - and I want to be better about taking intentional time to do just that. I have intended to take time each day of November leading up to Thanksgiving to think about and jot down things that I am giving thanks for. Though I have taken some time intermittently to think about those things, I have not been committed to taking time to write them down. So, I wanted to do that here. I have so many things to be thankful for. Here are a few of those things:

-my family. I am blessed with a family that loves the Lord and loves one another. My parents are still together after 33 years of marriage and are committed to the vow that they made to one another. I recognize that as a rarity these days. My sisters are both amazing women who love the Lord and are examples to me of how to love and serve others well. I now also have an amazing brother who is the perfect partner for my sister and who loves the Lord and is committed to serving Him with his life. (Happy Birthday, Jeremy!) I am thankful that I had a chance to go to Florida recently and spend some time with (most of) the fam!

-a new roommate! I have been praying that God would send me a new roommate since mine moved out about a year ago, and He finally did. A friend from church (whose name is also Aimee, just spelled a little different) moved in a little over a week ago, and I am loving having her around. It is nice to have someone to just chill and watch a movie with when I don't feel like doing much else. She is also incredibly talented in many artistic/crafty ways, and I am looking forward to gleaning some knowledge from her.

-community. I am thankful that I have an amazing community of friends to share life with. We have been meeting weekly for over two years now, and they are such a blessing in my life. I can share struggles with them, laugh with them, pray with them, cry with them, celebrate with them... I know that they will be there to send me out as I go to Peru and pray for me while I am there. I am so thankful for this group of fabulous friends!

(P.S. For a great sermon on community, you should listen to this one by Matt Chandler called Gospel Community. It's a good one.)

-a Godly mentor. I have a wonderful lady in my life that I have been meeting with periodically for the past couple of years. M'Lyn speaks truth into my life, encourages me, and even sets me straight every now and then when I need it. I am thankful for her presence in my life.

-peppermint mocha creamer! This one may seem a bit trivial, but I am thankful nonetheless! As I type, I am enjoying my first cup of coffee with peppermint mocha creamer of the season. This is the one "Christmas-themed" item that I welcome long before Thanksgiving. I maintain that it should never have been labeled a seasonal item to begin with...

-peace about the plans that the Lord has for me. I am thankful to be able to walk toward moving to Peru with confidence that the Lord has led me here and will continue to guide me as long as I am faithful to follow. I have peace that the One that created me knows each of my days before any of them come to be (Psalm 139:16).

-Peru supporters! I have already been surprised and incredibly blessed by people that have communicated their desire to support me as I go to Peru. Some of those are people that I have had little contact with over the years, and I am overwhelmed and so thankful that they would want to walk with me on this journey.

-days off. I am so thankful for days like today off from work to have an opportunity for rest and renewal!

-Fall! I am thankful for the beauty of this season which speaks to me of God's glory and creativity. God didn't just create an Earth simply to sustain us, but created so many things for us to enjoy. I love the vibrant colors of the leaves and the rich flavors of pumpkin and spices characteristic of the season. I love that God gave me those things as a blessing to enjoy!

-the everyday meeting of my needs. I am thankful that I have everything that I need and so much more. I have food to eat, a house to sleep in, heat to warm me, warm clothes to protect me from the cold, shoes to put on my feet (well, flip flops anyway...), an income to pay my bills. I am blessed, indeed. There are so many people in the world that don't have so many of those things. I recognize that I have a responsibility to share what I have with those who have need. I pray that I would open my eyes to some of those people during this holiday season that the Lord may be calling me to bless by meeting their needs.

There are 10 things for the first 10 days of this month. My goal is to continue to share with you at least one thing that I am thankful for each day this month. Please feel free to encourage me to stick with this! And I would love to hear about the things that you are thankful for, or about the things that the Lord is speaking into you during this season.

"Remember the wondrous works that he has done..." Psalm 105:5

"...And be thankful." Colossians 3:15