An Empty Place at the Table

I'm having a hard time counting my blessings today. The holidays are always a little rough and it doesn't seem to change as the years go by. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are instructed to give thanks in everything for it is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Don't get me wrong... I am very thankful. I am thankful for my amazing son. I am thankful for the air that I breathe. I am thankful for my church, my job, and the many friends and family that God has placed in my life. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can own several Bibles and that I don't have to fear reading the Word of God. I am thankful for Jesus - because of the hope I have in Him, I know that I will see Ron again and I know that, while I am struggling at this moment, Ron is pain free and radiant.

If you are having a hard time thinking about Thanksgiving and feeling like you just want to crawl under the covers and cry, let's try to lift ourselves out - together! Here are some things that we can all be thankful for today, no matter what our circumstances:

• We are saved by His grace
• We are safe in the arms of the Son and the Father
• We have everlasting life in Christ
• We shall never be separated by anything from His love
• We will be where His is in eternity
• We are certain that to die will be gain
• We have the peace of God
• We will be raised with Him in the morning of the resurrection
• We can do all things through Christ
• We have the throne of grace to come to
• We have the blessed hope of a new heaven and a new earth with a new body

The apostle, Paul, knew that the riches he had in Jesus were far greater than any suffering he must endure on earth. He continued to look up, focusing on what was waiting for him... what is waiting for all of us.

My friends, let's adopt Paul's attitude of gratitude as we face another Thanksgiving with an empty place at the table. Instead of looking at that place as empty - how about setting another place at the table? Set a place for Jesus next to the place where your loved one would sit as a visual reminder that is filled with hope. One day we will all be sitting at His table... together. That is something we can all be thankful for.

Wishing you a hope-filled Thanksgiving!

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Giving Thanks!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!"

This week is a great time to focus on the things we are thankful for and to get into the habit of thankfulness! Life is filled with good days and bad days but, no matter how challenging our circumstances may be or how much our heart may be hurting, we can be grateful that the sun still rises each morning and the sky is filled with the most amazing constellation and that we have air to breath. I recently stumbled across this quote:

"Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that if the constellations appeared only once in a thousand years, what an exciting event it would be. Because they're there every night, we barely look." (On This Day, Robert J. Morgan)

Isn't that so true! We take the everyday miracles for granted because they are there every day. I'm going to make a point of looking at the stars tonight and thanking God for the miracle of the extraordinary constellations.

I was watching Fox News and Friends this morning and Glen Beck was a guest. They were discussing the economy (hmmmm... isn't that at uplifting conversation first thing in the morning?). Mr. Beck has been on a book tour for his new book and he shared an observation has has made during his travels. In the northern part of the country there is fear when discussing the economy. However, in the southeastern part of the country that he referred to as the Bible belt, there is concern but no fear. Before an audience of millions, Mr. Beck said that this is because we have hope in something so much greater. While we may be concerned, we are not fearful.

Hope is what gets me through every hurtful circumstance. No matter what... the King is still on the throne, He is with me in all circumstances and I have Jesus in my heart and a hope in life everlasting. Amen!

May you be filled with hope today my friends.

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn

Accident?

My son, Nick, was an "accident." Ron and I weren't planning on having children for two more years. We were both working and Ron had gone back to school. In two years he would finish school and would return to work full time and we would get pregnant. Yup... we had a plan! And then the positive sign on the stick!

I remember being nervous about telling Ron I was pregnant. He was much more of a goal-setter than I was. He made lists and actually stuck to them. (I make lists and then change them as often as my mood changes.) I was waiting for the look of panic to cross his otherwise calm and peaceful face - the look that said, "Wait. This is not on my list for two more years." I was expecting to watch as he then made adjustments to his list of short-term and long-term goals to accommodate this unexpected turn of events. Instead... he started to laugh! He was actually tickled pink... literally!

Ron was a great dad and we couldn't wait to have a second child. This one would be a little girl. (Yup... we still thought we could plan everything!) Then Ron was diagnosed with cancer before Nick's second birthday. We had just started to "plan" on our next pregnancy. We even chose her name. While Ron had a great prognosis, the doctor said that the treatment would make him sterile. There would be no more children. At the time I could have cared less. All I wanted was for Ron to get through treatment so we could watch our sweet little boy grow up and then grow old together.

Nick was three and a half when his daddy died. He is now 15 and I often think about the plans that Ron and I had for our family. If we had stuck to our plan, I wouldn't have Nick. Sure... life would be less smelly without a teenage boy in the house but I am so very grateful to have him in my life. He looks more and more like his dad every day and he makes me very proud... almost all the time (smile).

I have a verse that I keep on my desk: "What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do." (Isaiah 46:11) To me, this verse says that I can make all the plans that I want but ultimately, whatever God has promised to bring about is what's going to happen. His promises are true. His Word is life. He promises to comfort and He does. He fills my empty space. He gives me hope through Christ.

My little accident was no accident. Nick is a miracle. (I'll try to remember that the next time I find a week-old bowl of curdled cereal in his room.)

Blessings,
LeAnn