1,000 Gifts > Chapter 5

This post is part of my Book Club Series

which was started by {this} and {this} lovely lady

To start from the beginning click {here}

"What joy and peace I find in your scriptures God. All is well when I'm reading of your goodness that remains no matter what comes out of my heart. May I go throughout today dressed in your armor to battle the things, in myself and in this world, that seek to destroy the peace you are giving me." 

- Journal entry from 3/13/13

I was in complete shock the days following my release from LeaderTreks

(the ministry I was supposed to be working for till this coming August).

I had my schedule down pat, super early mornings to get my desperately needed time with God, heading to the gym to care for my body that would then be stuck in an office for 9 hours of my day. Life was "easy" when you knew where you had to be from 9-5 and set up things to do with the few brief hours outside of that time frame.

And suddenly, when I didn't have anywhere to be, my favorite time of day, mornings, became the moments that I dreaded. Waking up without a real plan to my day, and my mind and my selfish soul were screaming "INJUSTICE!" and asking me to wallow in my own self pity.

But I fought, just like Ann, with her cards of Trust, I forced myself into Scripture. Into the only true and constant thing I could claim in my life.

This chapter is the key to the whole process for me. The transforming of simple "Pollyanna moments" of thanksgiving to the seeing of God's Grace in all things. 

SOUND BYTES:

"And i can see in it in the looking back, how this daily practice of the discipline of gratitude is the way to daily practice the delight of God." (p82)

"To read His message in the moments, I'll need to read His passion on the page; wear the lens of the Word, to read His writing in the world." (p87)

"Without God's Word as a lens, the world warps." (p91)

"I can say it certain now: All is grace. [...] All is grace because all can transfigure." (p100-101)

TRUTH TO WRITE ON HER HEART:

GRATITUDE EVERYDAY:

My first Gratitude Journal

The Scripture I used to fight over the past month:

• Jeremiah 17:7-8
• Jeremiah 12:14
• Psalm 46:10-11
• Psalm 91:11
• 2 Corinthians 1:9b
• 1 Corinthians 2:6-7
• Excerpts from Ephesians (especially the armor of God in ch 6)
• Philippians 3:10-11
• Romans 12:1
• Colossians 2:6-7
• 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

"Another morning, another battle, another time to need to hear your truth."

- journal entry from 3/19/13

What truth are you using to battle for thankfulness today?