thankful thursday...

it's thursday.... which is really my friday this week because i'm off tomorrow to let them turn me into a living voodoo doll again... although i'm not expecting much in the way of results

my one remaining shift key is sticking. forgive the lack of capitalization.

i have to be at work early this morning because we have a second staff meeting this week. oy. it's an extra half hour on the paycheck so... hard to complain. we won't have a staff meeting next monday which... is good, in a way... i have to be at the neurosurgeon's office at 10.

i got home from work yesterday and the water was cut off. they've changed the billing cycle. i used to pay that bill out of the second paycheck each month... now it has to be there by the ninth of the month. i forgot. that was a fifty dollar mistake. and so it goes, i'm afraid.

we have ants. go figure.

i forgot to eat dinner last night.

i haven't had much of an appetite this week. i'm sure the steroids will change that. i'm purposely not stocking much food in the house so i can't munch over the weekend. i've got meals... but not snacks. austin hates it but... if he has a snack attack he can always walk to the store.

the catalyst christian learning center has their banquet tonight. anything that involves sitting... especially after work when i've already sat for 8+ hours... it's just not happening for me right now. austin was sooo responsible about it... he called his uncle bubba and asked if he could get a ride with him. bubba is on the board of directors for catalyst so, of course, he has to go. i love the influence that catalyst has on austin. if you're looking for a non-profit to donate money to... check them out. it's a great ministry.

spiritually i've been sort of focusing on two different concepts:

1. identifying the enemy and focusing on overcoming it

2. being faithful to God, in the context of faithfulness in relationships

What got me thinking about the enemy was that passage in psalms 18 that i read earlier in the week. Part of the passage... verses sixteen thru nineteen in particular... read them, please...

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

and then I put it in context with this passage... which made me think about the fact that my enemy is not a "who" so much as a "what"... this verse is in ephesians 6

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So what are my enemies? Pain. fear. frustration. physical limitation. discouragement. defeat. financial issues. obesity (I mean, if we're keeping it real here). estrangement from loved ones. laziness. isolation. exhaustion. and so on and so forth. i could probably name a hundred more and still be missing some of my "enemies"... and the truth is... i'm fighting battles that God has already won on my behalf. i'm allowing myself to be brought into submission by things that have no power over me as a child of GOD. We know that in this world we will have trouble... but we can take heart because He has overcome the world. It's the going thru... the personal growth... the building of our testimony and sharpening of our spirit that we achieve by these daily opportunities to exercise our faith.

AND then... as far as faithfulness... I haven't dug up a lot of scripture about it (yet) just sort of meditating on the concept of being faithful as we humanly understand the word. our relationship with Christ is modeled in the bible as being like a marriage. most of us understand the expectations of a marital relationship and marital fidelity. i said "most of us" because... well, you know as well as I know that there are a lot of people who struggle with honoring those vows but even those who don't honor them, understand the rules. what are those expectations? putting the other person first above everything else in your life... not loving someone else... taking time to connect with that person... staying in touch with that person... letting them know where you're going and what you're doing... asking for their input when you make decisions... does any of this sound familiar? I'll share more with you as I meditate on it some more...

Anyways... it's thankful thursday and I am thankful for so many things...

1. water

2. victory over my enemies

3. strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow

4. christian music and the way the lyrics speak to my heart

5. spiritual growth

6. a God who is faithful to me, even though i'm not faithful to him in the way i should be

7. austin showing maturity in making arrangements for tonight.

8. a three day weekend

9. a legacy of faith on both sides of my family

10. friends who pray for me

11. the beauty of the springtime here in the mountains

12. fox news

13. american idol - really enjoyed it last night

14. my cozy nest

Hope wherever you are, whatever you're doing today that you find strength for your journey and hope for tomorrow. love and hugs!