Love and Light

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-4

Resilience, such a world renowned, profound word. God is constantly echoing this word throughout the course of my life, growing my faith along the way. During this season of mommying littles I hear this word whispered often and unexpectedly: when the marker streaks are found on the walls, through my toddlers whining, the baby’s constant crying- I can still hear my Savior’s voice telling me it’s all going to be okay. And then there are some moments that catch me off guard, leaving me breathless, in awe of the awesome, wonderful God we call Abba Father: my 2 year old quietly sing “Jesus loves me this I know,” my daughter looking up from playing, locking eyes with mine telling me fiercely, “I love you mommy.” Yes, some moments are there to remind me that motherhood matters. God has planted and placed all that we need to live lives of abundance, growing our faith and fortifying our resilience when we have hearts of gratitude.

How can we cultivate the seeds of gratitude in our hearts? Through tangibly, literally, and physically praising the Lord, coming before Jesus in prayer, and mentioning our thanks in specific ways, we exercise the muscle of thankfulness. This muscle can carry us through tough times and dark days when well conditioned and trained.

Being thankful takes strength. It takes strength of the mind. It takes strength of heart. To choose to dwell on our thanksgivings before our grudges takes focus and consistent persistence in looking for the light.

Having a heart of thanksgiving is only possible through the funnel of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is able to strain out our negativity by means of his Truth, God’s Word, and through his consummate power that is able to meet us in our weakness and bridge the gap of our ill equipped hearts with his divine strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Rely on Jesus' strength. Make cognizant heart shifts that position you toward the light in your life, away from darkness and negative thoughts. Through Christ’s strength we can be covered and carried in love and light.

Steps of Faith:

• Go to the Lord in prayer. Confess your sins and inability to stay focused on all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Ask for Jesus to step in and provide his strength. (Read 2 Corinthians 12:9.)

• Praise Jesus for 5-10 things you are thankful for today. Maybe these are blessings you often take for granted, and want to make a conscious effort to thank Jesus for. Make a list of these things. Write them down and refer to them often.

• Read through Psalm 100. Prayerfully reflect on the fact that God is good, unchanging, faithful, and eternally thank-worthy.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100