Google it!

I am so thankful for my new addition to the gadgets and toys that make my life a better place :)
I know I am getting all excited about something that is material, but in actuality the fact that someone would even think of giving me this awesome little gift 'just because' and it is one of those things that are exactly what I would love to have but probably would not buy for myself - that was priceless! It really made my day!

So as I was thinking about how I am thankful about this new little speaker that pushes some serious sound and I can actually move it around wirelessly, I could not help but notice how I am also thankful for my faithful friend in time of doubt - Google! Yes, Google is definitely my friend!I google at least 10 things each day, seriously! Google cares that I am not lost when I am in need of information and is always there when I need it! If those are not qualities of a friend, then I don't know what is! Ok, ok, I am just kidding...LOL

Great friends who care and Google...what else can a girl need ;) But on a serious note - I am thankful for the genuine and much useful 'just because' gift that is so well thought of, I can see that the person was paying attention! Thank you - you know who you are! ;)

Lately I have been thinking a lot about friends and the friendships in my life. There are people who come into our lives and they are really great people and great friends, but only for a season. They teach you good things and much needed lessons about life and about who you are as a person. Then, there are people who really want to have meaningful friendships but themselves do not realise that for a friendship to be great it means there must be a give-and-take, it means being that good friend for another not only when it's easy and convenient but when it counts. And then there are people who are genuinely there for you, they know you and they still want to be there no matter what, because they are in it not just for what they can take away from the friendship, but they want to know you and understand you...those are the friends that stick around, the ride or die kind of friends because they really do care and have your best interest at heart. Jesus is that kind of friend to us, He is the ultimate friend, even if the world disappoints and people walk in and out of your life - He will never leave you not forsake you :)

...and for that I am thankful...

"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me."

~ John 15:12-15

"Wounds from a sincere friend
    are better than many kisses from an enemy."

~ Proverbs 27:6

"The heartfelt counsel of a friend
    is as sweet as perfume and incense."

~ Proverbs 27:9

"As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend." 

~ Proverb 27:17

Seasons

I love the changing of seasons. The last time I actually witnessed a change of seasons was when I was 12 years old. In Kazakhstan, where I grew up, the seasons were distributes equally - three months of winter, three months of spring, three months of summer and three months of autumn.

I particularly loved it when after summer came fall and all the leaves would change colour from green to multiple colours of orange and red! We would collect the leaves and make garlands from them by tying the stem of the leaf to another leaf and we would decorate the entire park with long strings of bright, leafy garlands!

Then came the winter and you wait for that first day when the snow would fall and everything would look so white and clean, like a fairytale! We would go outside and play in the snow, build snowmen and have snow ball fights.

I did not particularly like the change from winter to spring, that awkward moment when everything is melting and the dirt mixes with the slush...yack! But then the reward of new life and first flowers and leaves springs forth and everything blooms all at the same time!

I love that life is also like that. There are moments that are cold and the yucky slush of awkward and unclear and unknown life moments and circumstances arise and cause this melancholic feeling, making you desire the beauty of the spring blooms. It is amazing to know that in the seasons of life you can almost be sure that after winter comes spring and then the warm summer of life. It helps me understand and embrace the fact that God can see the whole picture and He will bring things full circle. It makes it ok to have that winter experience because I know that it is the time of stepping back and allowing for things to take their natural course, no need to strive...just like nature needs rest before the revival, so does my heart and my Spirit need to rest before life springs back up in it's full swing. The key is to recognise the season God has you in, because there is a purpose behind every season...

...and for that I am thankful...

Everything Has Its Time

To everything there is a season, 

A time for every purpose under heaven: 

A time to be born, And a time to die; 

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill, And a time to heal;

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

A time to tear, And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of peace.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Acceptance

One of the most powerful moments in life of each individual is coming to full acceptance of who he or she is. This means full acceptance of the past, all the flaws, all the shortcomings, all the mistakes and insecurities...

We have a tendency to believe the lies we have collected over a period of our lifetime which are stuck in our heads. These are the voices of either our parents who communicated to us that we were not worthy of love, or the cruel bullies who put us down when we were children, or ignorant teachers who communicated to us that we were not smart enough. It is the voice of our social system that programs us to perform and compete in the areas where we were never meant to perform anyway because it was never the area of our giftedness and which punishes us when we fail. It is the religious institutions that preached to us, drilling that we must be 'good enough' to earn our salvation and go to heaven...What this does is causes us SHAME ('Self Hatred Aimed at ME' - Dr. David Allen) which causes us to create false selves, put on masks, so that we perform and dance the dance of perfection in the eyes of the spectators, until they find something else to hate on...then we create more false selves and put on more masks trying to conform to this world and please people...It's a cycle, and looking from outside in we look really good doing it, covering up our trues self and our shame...

Full acceptance of the fact that I am never going to be perfect and I am never going to measure up to someone's complete expectations nor will I ever be good enough in the eyes of every human being (and thank God I do not need to be) - is freedom! This is what liberating yourself from mental slavery is all about - to stop being people pleasers and embracing our humanness...the truth is, we really are not that good and we are not worthy, but it is also true that it is not expected of us...

Instead, it is the revelation that it is not by works, not by my own effort that I am made perfect, but by God's love manifested in Christ. It is the realisation that it is because of our shortcomings that we need Christ who took on my sin and my shame and gave me Himself, thus making me perfect! Today I am reminded that Christ took my imperfections, my insecurities and my sin and His blood covers me and washes me clean...I am made perfect through Him alone!

...and for that I am thankful...

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 

~ Philippians 3:12-14

Tears...

Tears...tears of joy and tears of sorrow. Sometimes caused by a bad experience or simply the compilation of life pressures...Tears are a part of life.

Pain is not something we tend to seek or welcome easily because, let's face it, no one wants to feel hurt. Although I am not an easy person to cry or to get sad, I am actually thankful for my tears...before you think I am weird, let me explain: 

I consider myself a happy person for the most part, someone who enjoys life and has fun no matter what I do. But, like anyone else, there are definitely moments that cause grief and sorrow in my heart. Also, like most people, I used to try to protect myself from even getting to that vulnerable place where I can get hurt, but we all know, that in order to experience the fulness of life and the beauty of all that life and relationships have to offer, you have to take those walls down at least sometimes and become vulnerable, even though you might get hurt. I learned that tears are a part of life and those moments of sorrow are inevitable if we at least remotely allow people close, because at some point they will disappoint us...

The way I learned to look at it is that situations that cause tears are actually a gift, a blessing in disguise. They either reveal something about yourself or others around you. Either way, they are definitely learning opportunities. For one, they reveal how much something really means to you. Secondly, it is in those times it is revealed who is truly there for you. It is in those moments that you realise who knows you the best and who cares for you genuinely. It is in those moments that you realise who are the people on your speed-dial that you can trust to call and share your heart with...it is in those times that you know whose friendship is real and who has your best interest at heart...tears are revealing and they are also like the rain that washes over your soul, cleansing your heart, giving you the relief you need to face the challenges...just don't stay there too long. Know that God is still in control and He already knows the outcome. It is just a matter of time before you get clarity, just let Him do what He does best - let Him lead you and guide you to that place or peace and rest. Christ is still my hope because through Him I can overcome! He counts our tears..tears can be good for the soul...

...and for that I am thankful...

"Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll -- are they not in your record?

Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise--

in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,  that I may walk before God in the light of life."

~ Psalm 56:8-13

Real Talk

There is something so calming and peaceful about sitting around a fire pit and having conversations about real life stuff, the kind of stuff that matters. Bon fires are one of my favourite things to do. So many meaningful conversations have been inspired by something so simple - burning wood!

Bon fires are another example of how we can take something so simple and create an experience around it which will create memories forever - and that is priceless!

Saturday night was one of those nights, where we were able to put our cell phones and shared some of the most incredible stories, the kinds that you leave at the bon fire...we shared our thoughts and opinions, as we gazed at the flames. That was also where God touched our hearts as we seeked Him on these issues...it was a real-talk kind of experience, the kind that makes you stop and think about the implications of the important things in life...

...and for that I am thankful...

In Spirit and in Truth...

Have you ever heard a song that took you into a trance, the kind of experience where the music lifts you up, takes up your spirit and carries you into another dimension...and the words pierce your heart with a supernatural power that you cannot explain?

Imagine melting into a praise and worship in this way, crying out to the Lord with all that you are and all that you have to give! The kind of giving in where there you no longer exist in the flesh, but the flesh falls away and all that is left is a communion of spirits - yours and that of God, intertwining in a love dance!

That is what I love to experience when I hear Spirit-filled worship! I am so thankful that I can hear and feel music in this way, that I can comprehend the words and the meaning of those words...I am thankful that I can raise my voice in praise and worship to my King of Kings, my Friend, the Lover of my soul...that even in the midst of pain and hardships I can lift my cry to Him; that in the moments of my joy I get to lift my voice in joyful noise. I am FREE to worship...

...and for that I am THANKFUL...

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."~ John 4:23-24 

Breaking Dawn

Have you ever stopped and wondered...how we can look at something and realise how beautiful it is? Have you ever wondered that we can see and appreciate such an array of colours and shapes and dimensions, recognising the obvious and breathtaking beauty that surrounds us daily?

I am not a morning person. I would much rather stay up late till wee hours of the morning and get up at about 11:00 am in the comfort of my bed and comforter and my soft best friend pillow...I am one of those people who needs strong coffee in the morning to even feel human.

Somehow, about a year ago the Lord began to call me to Himself. He wanted me to spend time with Him. I tried everything - lunch break, evening and even spending time on my day off. But for some reason it was not bringing me closer to Him on that intimate level. I was asking God to show me what to do, but continued to ignore that still small voice that called me, because I did not want to get out of my comfort zone. Despite all of that, the small still voice never left me.

It was this nurturing kind of voice that kept wooing me, causing me to pay closer attention. The Holy Spirit began to reveal to me, through the stories in Scripture, that all of His chosen people seemed to seek Him at the break of dawn, including Jesus Himself...

God's voice resounded in my heart, "Come to Me, seek Me in the morning. Come to our meeting place and I will led you to still waters, I will give you rest". I decided to try it out...I decided to be obedient to that call.

Ever since that day, I have witnessed so many unique and unforgettable sunrises that He painted just for me to see, so many quiet moment where He shows up and speaks to me as the sun rises, painting the sky with unimaginable colours! These moments became so precious to me that I cannot even imagine going long periods of time without that early morning time. It became our meeting place where we both expect to commune with each other.

Don't get me wrong, I still need my coffee in the morning and I still snooze my alarm hugging my pillow...but the reward of starting a day in the company of my Creator is not something I want to trade for those extra Zzz's. He makes it worth getting out of bed every time!

...and for that I am THANKFUL...

"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." 

~ Mark 1:35

"O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch."

~ Psalm 5:3

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."

~ Psalm 90:14