Scripture to Ponder

This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalms 118:24


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Have Joy, Pray, Give Thanks

Well, I apologize for being away for a spell, but you can say I truly enjoyed my break for the Thanksgiving holiday and look forward to the next one, Christmas! I have so much to be thankful for and love this time of year. Maybe that's why God chose the Thanksgiving season for my birthday LOL. Yes, I had a birthday on November the 26th, and was truly given the most wonderful blessing. I went to MD Anderson for my routine 6 month PET scans. I had been studying God's word each morning, praying and focusing on his presence in my life before going to my  appointment. This time, I felt such a peace about it. The verse that kept coming to my mind was 1Thessalonians 5:16-18, a very timely scripture for this time of year: "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." As I memorized this verse, the part that was difficult was the "all circumstances". We readily accept good from God, but rarely thank him for the bad. I have Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and could not imagining thanking God for that. But in time, I could because my battle and bout with chemo drew me ever so closer to Him. That I can say I am thankful for. If it had not been my cancer, then maybe I would not have grown in my faith. So, to the main point...my doctor came in to share my news that the spot  that we have been tracking for more than two years had completely disappeared! Now that's what I call a great birthday blessing!

As if that was not enough for this season of thankfulness, I was blessed with a new grandson (number 6 grandchild) born on November 29th, which had us traveling to Austin for his birth. There's just nothing like snuggling with a newborn baby. I miss him already, but do have to get back to work.

May you enjoy the upcoming season and focus on Jesus which should be the main reason we celebrate Christmas!