1. I am thankful more every day for my salvation. Without Jesus, nothing else in my life would work, and none of the amazing things I'm about to share with you would be in my life. He has had His hand on me even when I've tried to push it away. He has lavished Love and Grace on me.Keep in mind that I deserve none of this! I am a real mess - I am selfish, stubborn, judgmental, and unloving, to name a few. But He is always loving, always faithful, and always pursuing me. Without Him, and am and have nothing.
2. I also get more thankful every day for my incredible husband.
And not just because he's the most handsome thing I've ever laid eyes on!He is my very, very best friend. We met in October of 2000, dated for a year [I was 13, he was 17 -yes, my dad hated that], broke up in 2002, dated other people, and got back together in February/March of 2007. We had stayed in the same circle of friends, but hadn't been really close [we'd have a long conversation about once every 6 months, but saw each other almost every day]. Then he just showed up one day at the coffee place where I worked and something clicked into place. I wasn't even thinking romantic things at the time; I was going through a really bad break up [which had been going on for about 8 months to give you a picture of how dramatic and ridiculous it was], and he was just being a friend. He was exactly what I needed. I could trust him completely. From that place of trust, openness and forgiveness, we found ourselves in a weird place. He came over to my apartment one night and said "I either can't talk to you anymore or I'm going to marry you." That was March 2007. We were married New Year's Eve 2007. And it has been better than I thought marriage could be. :]
He's an amazing father!! Shiloh adores him, and his heart just gets mushier for her every day. I didn't think I could love him more, until I saw him walking around with her in the delivery room, and they were just staring at each other while he sang to her. And as she's grown they've formed such a special bond. I can't imagine raising a child [soon to be children!] with anyone else.
He loves Jesus more than anything. He is the reason I accepted Jesus in the first place at age 13, and he helped draw me back to Him when I was in the darkest place I've ever been. He wasn't always sugary about it, but he was always real and willing to tell me exactly what the Bible said about anything, even if he though I wouldn't like it. And he's still that way. I have so much respect for him. The only reason we could make it when we got back together, the only reason I could trust him enough to marry him, is because I knew He loved Jesus more than me, and that is how he can love me so well.
3. I can't begin to express how thankful I am for Shiloh.
She is an absolute gift from God. She is a real picture, wrapped in a perfect little body, of the Grace Jesus has for me. I made so many bad decisions in my life that should have prevented me from ever having her. All I could think when I first held her and got to see her was "I don't deserve this. God loves me more than I will ever understand to have done this for me."
And every day He shows me something new and amazing through her. I feel so incredibly blessed to be entrusted with her.
4. I am thankful for the baby in my belly. :] It was a real shock, but the closer it gets the more excited I get. I can't wait to see both Matthew and Shiloh around this new little baby. Our little family just keeps growing, and I can't wait to see what life will be like with 4 of us.
5. I am so, so thankful for my friends. Specifically, my friend Haley. She has stuck around through some real tough situations and has supported me and Matthew when literally no one else did. Jesus was really trying to bless me when He brought her into my life. She understands what we do for a living, and has a heart to do it as well. Plus, Shiloh is in love with her. There's nothing like having someone who your kid enjoys as much as you do, and who genuinely loves your kid. I have no clue what I'd do without Haley in my life.
I'm stopping there, even though I could probably go for days [I'm seeing now why people have been doing things like "10 days of thankfulness" and stuff like that...we have a lot to be thankful for!!]. I will add, since it's Sunday, that I'm thankful for my church, Greenville Christian Fellowship. They are some good folks. And the leadership is stellar. If you don't have somewhere to be on sundays, look them up!
"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."
-Psalm 9:1
-Psalm 9:1
No comments:
Post a Comment