Thankful Thursday

 

Happy Thursday, friends. I'm joining in this week with Rebecca Jo and Leslie, for our weekly linkup. 

Needless to say, the thing at the top of my list this week has to do with something that happened a week ago today. I wrote a whole blog post about it, so if you'd like to read about it, click here for the full story. I am thankful for this verse below and the truth that it has meant in my life, both last week and in previous years. I'll write it out for you.

A person's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

The short version of what happened last week was that my Kroger had a mass shooting that took place on the day and at the exact time I was supposed to have been there. The Lord allowed my lunch to run late and I ended up being pressed for time and had to go on to my next appointment, but I very well could have been in the store when it happened. Two lives were lost and several were critically injured, but a friend of mine was among one whose life was lost.

I'll eventually stop writing about this, but all of us who live in this idyllic town are shocked. I read somewhere yesterday that another Kroger nearby had all the cars broken into while the employees were at work in the night. We're never immune to evil and if we started looking more closely, we would see that it is all around us. That's not something I really want to focus on, though. I'd prefer to think on how many times the Lord has protected me or my loved ones during instances I had no idea were even going on. I know it happens all the time! I don't believe in coincidence, but I do believe that every moment of our lives has been planned out since the beginning of time.

I know that the Lord has delayed all of us before and I know He will do that again. Our days are numbered and no matter what is going on in the world (with something horrific like a mass shooting or a global pandemic that will never go away), He alone knows when our beginning was and He knows when our last day on earth is. I trust Him with all of my life and I refuse to live my life in fear. 

That's not to say that I am going to be careless with my life, but I know and acknowledge that all of my life and the lives of my family members are all planned out. I choose to trust the Lord with all of my heart and to lean on Him...even if I experience a moment of hesitation before I walk into that Kroger for the first time when it opens back up.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

I didn't mean to make this whole post about that, but I am just so thankful that the Lord guides my every step. He does that for all of who belong to Him. He is loving, kind, faithful and trustworthy. Do you know Him? I ask all the time, because it's the most important thing you'll ever read on this blog...the other stuff is fun and "fluff", which I love, but this is the meat of the blog and the most important reason why I write. I pray often, asking God to use this little space to glorify Himself and I hope you know that is always the intention of my heart. 

There is so much more I can say, but this is the gist of what has been on my heart this week, especially as I've been studying the book of Esther in Bible study. God's providence is always at work, even when it's nothing we see. 

There are some other wonderful things I'm thankful for from this week as well, and I don't want to skim over those. Some of those things are time with our parents, a full dinner table at dinner on Tuesday night and being together as a family of six (plus one extra) for the first time in way too long. I'm thankful for my sons that reached out to me to check on my whereabouts last Thursday and their extra long hugs when I saw them that day. I'm thankful for things like good and lighthearted books to read and escape into, a sound machine app at night to block out the sound of the comings and goings of my sons, and unexpected visits from Drew after he stopped by his old job at the Christian daycare near our house. (Is that not the sweetest thing? He missed his kids from there and he stopped by yesterday to play kickball in the gym with them for an hour...this is Drew, that works at St. Jude.) I'm thankful for Graham going and filling my car with gas that he paid for last night...I'd asked him to do that for me, but I didn't expect him to pay for it. I'm thankful for good dinners and snacks for when people are hungry and for hard working sons. Noah has come home extra tired after two hard days of work, and Jonah has a gained confidence in his abilities after working alone one day late last week. 

I'm thankful for little reminders from the Lord when I glimpse at the clock at the same time, everyday, at the exact same time: 6:33. It reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses—

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33

I'll end it on that note. Thanks for reading my blog! Love to all. 

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