grateful

Thankfull living

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Thankful.

Every Thanksgiving, we are reminded to celebrate all we have to be thankful for in our lives.

But God doesn’t want us to just be especially thankful once a year. He longs for us to be thank-full every day, in every situation, every time we can.

You recall that verse “Give thanks in all circumstances” we hear every year around Thanksgiving? There’s more to it….for it wasn’t meant to stand on its own!

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be cheerful no matter what.

Being of good cheer is part choice, and part based upon how we handle the emergencies and hard situations we face. Which links it to the next instruction in this verse:

Pray all the time.

All the time. Out loud, in your mind, or with your spirit, constantly bringing everything to Him in the moment.

And when we connect with Him as we do so?

(We can) Give thanks in all circumstances.

Only when all three occur together does the last part of this verse make complete sense:

This (cheerfully praying with thanks every step of all we encounter) is the way God wants His Beloved to live….

Choosing joy.
Connected with Him.
Celebrating with thanks.

This Thanksgiving season, take the time to look back on how God has been with you in every season, and what He walked you through.

Smile. (Laugh, twinkle your eyes or flash your dimple!) Because cheerful inside usually leads to a sign on the outside! 🙂

Pray. However you pray. Whether by speaking it. Thinking it. Writing it. Singing it. Drawing it. On your own. In two or three. At home. At work. Over coffee. While walking.

Thank-fully. We are so extra blessed when we are part of God’s family! We are loved beyond measure by our Father. We belong. We are inheritors of the Kingdom, made whole and clean in Jesus. We are free. We have access to resources surpassing our comprehension through Holy Spirit. We are never alone.

Because God is fully with us through all things, we can always, and in all ways, have a reason to be thank-full.

And then these verses, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, become as they were intended by God in our lives: Thanks-living as we express how thank-full we are to Him!

#thankfull #hopefortheharddays

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Thanksliving

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Thankful.

Every Thanksgiving, we are reminded to celebrate all we have to be thankful for in our lives.

But God doesn’t want us to just be especially thankful once a year.

He longs for us to be thank-full every day, in every situation, every time we can.

You recall that verse “Give thanks in all circumstances” we hear every year around Thanksgiving?

There’s more to it….for it wasn’t meant to stand on its own!

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be cheerful no matter what.

Being of good cheer is part choice, and part based upon how we handle the emergencies and hard situations we face. Which links it to the next instruction in this verse:

Pray all the time.

All the time. Out loud, in your mind, or with your spirit, constantly bringing everything to Him in the moment.

And when we connect with Him as we do so?

(We can) Give thanks in all circumstances.

Only when all three occur together does the last part of this verse make complete sense:

This (cheerfully praying with thanks every step of all we encounter) is the way God wants His Beloved to live….

Choosing joy.
Connected with Him.
Celebrating with thanks.

This Thanksgiving season, take the time to look back on how God has been with you in every season, and what He walked you through.

Smile. (Laugh, twinkle your eyes or flash your dimple!)

Because cheerful inside usually leads to a sign on the outside! 🙂

Pray.

However you pray. Whether by speaking it. Thinking it. Writing it. Singing it. Drawing it. On your own. In two or three. At home. At work. Over coffee. While walking.

Thank-fully.

We are so extra blessed when we are part of God’s family!

We are loved beyond measure by our Father. We belong.

We are inheritors of the Kingdom, made whole and clean in Jesus. We are free.

We have access to resources surpassing our comprehension through Holy Spirit. We are never alone.

Because God is fully with us through all things, we can always, and in all ways, have a reason to be thank-full.

And then these verses, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, become as they were intended by God in our lives:

Thanksliving as we express how thank-full we are to Him!

be

Karla LeesLeave a comment

It is time to be.

Leave the doing for a while, and like Mary, the disciples and the crowds of His day, come and sit a while at Jesus’ feet.

All are welcome to come.

But as you come, you will be changed.

You cannot sit with pure love, grace and compassion without it bringing out that which is within you.

You will be-come.

Be.

There is a dream, a Hope, a seed, a flame waiting within to break out and be.

Come.

There is a place just for you, waiting for you take your place, and come.

Become.

Be what you were meant to be when you come into His presence.

When His presence permeates you from the inside out, and releases His creative life within.

Be with Him.
Come to Him.
Become His.

I resist the pull to just be.
I prefer to buzz around at tines, keeping busy.

But I know, oh how I know deep deep down in my very soul, God is always patiently, lovingly, devotedly waiting for me.

To come sit at His feet.
To rest in the quiet open space He has waiting for me.
To listen as He whispers His words of Love.
Hope.
Encouragement.
Direction.

And I become more
Trusting
Faith filled
Peaceful
Hopeful
Joyful
Grateful
In His presence.

Stop doing.
Its time to be.
He is ready and waiting for you
To come.

The becoming awaits.
What you will become depends on whether you will heed His call to come and be.
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broken & foolish

Karla Lees2 Comments

I know that God is good, merciful & gracious because He uses broken & foolish vessels like us to proclaim His unending love.

–Eugene Cho

God chooses to speak through people like you & I.

Some days, I am more dumbfounded by that statement than I can easily express.

I am not shocked God chooses to speak through you.

It is knowing He wants to use me and I am His choice that leaves me flummoxed.

I know I am not worthy.

But He chooses me, you, anyways.

We are the part of the proof He uses to share His heart for the world.

It is with wonder at His grace, love and mercy that I cannot help but write or sing of how good He has been to me.
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How He has always been with me.

Never failed me.

Loves me with an amazing, breathtakingly passionate love.

Speaks to me…words of love, direction, sometimes correction with affection & wisdom reminders when I need them.

The same God full of goodness, grace, love, mercy is waiting for you too.

His Word being spoken through His beloved to those He is calling home.

A privilege I don’t take lightly, as I know just how foolish I can be, and how broken I have been without His presence.

And I will never stop being thankful and proclaiming how grateful I am to be His.

ten things I like about you

Karla LeesLeave a comment

I really like ten things about you.
Even though i may not have met you yet.

That may sound strange, but as an observer of people, I have finally figured these things out.

And you probably need to know what these things are.

1. I like the fact that you aren’t me.
I spend more than enough time with myself, so I like that you are not me. I find our differences interesting. Think about how boring it would be if we were all alike.

2. You are here on purpose.
You were not an accident, no matter what anyone else had told you. God planned you, on purpose, from the spark that He first set off when He created you in your mother’s womb. You are handcrafted, and a one of a kind original. There will never be another one of you, ever. He designed you after Himself. He intentionally placed you in this place and time.

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Image from- http://cdn.theresurgence.com/files/2013/08/05/Wired_ResurgenceTemplate2.jpg

3. God has equipped you with talents and gifts.
Sometimes you need to be reminded that you are good at something. We all have strengths, and when we get to know each other, we begin to see these in one another. It may take a friend or coworker to point it out to you before you may begin to see it in yourself. You likely are good at a few things, not just the one you may be best at.

4. God cares for you.
Each and every person who ever has been, is or will be is important to God. So much so that Jesus died for each of us, to pave the way for us to draw close to Him. He is the closest friend you can ever have, will never leave you and always wants the best for you. He is in your corner no matter what.

5. You are here for a purpose.
You are meant to do wonderful things with your life. Bless people through your profession, invent something, raise your kids well, mentor or teach others, encourage and help others. God will reveal the things you are meant to do as you get to know Him, and yourself through His eyes.

6. You are worth being heard.
If no one has ever told you so…what you feel and think matters. You have a story worth telling, and it deserves to be told. And heard.

7. You look great when you smile!
That’s right, a smile makes you look your best. And when you smile, it increases the likelihood that those around you will smile back at you.

8. Things may be tough, but they will get better.
This world is just our temporary home, and it’s a hard life most of us are living through. But its not our final destination if you believe in Jesus, and place your hope in Him. Heaven will be your forever home. No more tears, sickness, disease, pain or loneliness.

9. You always have something to be thankful for.
As bad as things can get, take some comfort in the small things around you if you can’t see any big things to be grateful about. Being able to breathe, read, hear, walk. A roof over your head, food on the table, a job. A cloud in the sky, sun, rain puddles, flowers, cat purrs. Whatever you can find, remember to be thankful for having it.

10. Someone is thankful for having you in their life.
They are. Whether a family member, close friend, coworker or a stranger you helped out…someone has been blessed to have you in their life.

I hope we meet, whether virtually, here on earth or in heaven one day.

Until we do, remember these ten things that you need to know about yourself.

It took many years for me to reprogram the lies and believe these truths about myself. May you cast off what needs to go to make room for these truths you were meant to know about you.

I am glad you are here.

merry go round

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Sometimes life seems to spin around and around, like a merry-go-round.

Don’t know about you, but i know that after a day of answering phones, computing, meetings, paperwork & billing….my brain is crying out for a breather, not more.

Yet dinner needs to be made, the kitchen tidied after dinner was made, lunches prepped, laundry on or dried or put away, connect with the family, grocery or errand shopping, not to mention exercise, time with friends or extended family, taxes, bill paying, house cleaning…. and my day doesn’t likely look too different from yours, does it?

What gets you through, besides learning to say no, delegating, prioritizing and/or eating well?

For me, its spending time with God by:

Reading the Word- the days when i make the time to make God the priority go soooo much smoother than the days when i skip this step to save time! Somehow time moves in  a heavenly rhythm that defies linear understanding!

Worshipping- whether along with a cd, my guitar or the band at church, or out on a walk loving His handiwork all around me, this is another soother of my soul that helps me stay grounded.

Listening- keeping an ear tuned to what God may be whispering to me is important. An interruption may be a coworker’s plea for help, or a God incident to show grace towards someone in need. Following His prompting has led to a more peaceful atmosphere at work, whatever location I am at!

Writing-documenting what God is teaching and showing me helps me interact with the knowledge, awakening my brain to integrate any needed changes, reprogram what is to go and setting my focus on what is ahead, leaving that which needs to be left behind in the past. My blog is a part of this process.

Being grateful- saying thanks to God for all that is going well or I am grateful for each day keeps the negative things which may pop up into a proper perspective: part of my story, but not all of it.

And last but not least…..

Resting-taking the time to just BE and not DO much of anything besides breathing and relaxing. God’s word is full of reminders to do so… Psalm 62 is one of my favorites to help me relax and unwind and remember it is good to just BE.  By not doing on a regular basis, I am able to DO more when I am to be working. Again, a heavenly time shift that doesn’t seem to make sense, but when I put it to the test, every time proves to be true.

I’ve learned to say no to merry-go-rounds.

I prefer the swings.

Yes, it may get monotonous or end up going a little too high, but God is there to catch me when I need to jump off and take a break.

Time to BE for a bit before off to bed to recharge!