The message from my church on Sunday has been sticking with me this week. The pastor preached from Genesis 12:1-3 and it had a wonderful perspective about how we should look for blessings in our hardships. He spoke about how we all have ways in which we are "cursed" and deal with hardships and in those times it is often very difficult to see in what ways we are truly blessed.
Many times our first instinct is to ask "What is wrong today" or "Why am I sad today" instead of "Where am I being blessed today?"
Now that doesn't mean we have to deny the ways we are cursed or pretend that those things don't exist, but we do need to make an effort to acknowledge the ways we are blessed even with the hardships we are going through.
We have to get in the habit of seeing blessings in the midst of our obstacles. And one of the important things he shared is that we need to remember that we are blesses so that we can be a blessing for others.
"I will bless you and make your name great, SO THAT you will be a blessing."
This whole message spoke to me in several ways but it really made me think about the things I have seen in this group lately. I see people who only a few months ago were really struggling and now they are thriving, feeling more confident, and encouraging others. I am so grateful for all of you and how encouraging of a place this has become, it's been a huge blessing to me and I hope it is for you as well.
Also if you are currently struggling try to focus on the blessings you do have, and think about the ways you do have the ability to be a blessing to others.
If you want to listen to the whole message I will link the recording below, but today I encourage you to think about the ways in your life you are blessed, and how you can be a blessing to others.
Yesterday we surprised the kids and brought home a puppy!! They have been begging for one for years and we felt like the time was right to bring one home.
Meet Angus 🐕 He's a Golden Retriever/King Charles Cavalier Spaniel mix. He's 11 weeks old and currently weighs about 8 pounds, he should be around 35 pounds fully grown. I know it will be an adjustment for a while as he gets potty trained etc but we are so excited. 😂 Wish us luck! 🤪
Cheese is good! I ate a block of chipotle oven baked cheese with lunch yesterday and it was divine. I love it, but know that it halts any progress I'm making, and will even trigger eating in excess to where I'll gain weight. It's sad but I have accepted it. If I eat it in small quantities with a meal, it's ok, but I really have to work to keep it in check.
What's your favorite cheese? How do you incorporate it? Do you see negative results when eating it?
Happy Sunday! Sharing a video today from our week, one of the highlights. This was Wednesday evening church, normally they have a more casual prayer meeting where someone plays the guitar, but they were doing some construction in the fellowship hall so they had their prayer meeting in the sanctuary. No one was there to play the piano so my my Grandma did it, she's been playing the piano in church for probably 80 years.
For context, she's 88, she had a really bad fall 5 years ago now and hit her head and ended up with a lot setbacks, similar to having a stroke. She has a lot of dementia like symptoms also (I am sure related to her Type 2 diabetes), she really can't read music anymore, and she has trouble seeing well, and she needs to wear hearing aids to hear but hates wearing them, so on this night she didn't want to wear them. My 93 (almost 94) year old grandpa takes care of both of them on their farm. Anyway, on this night she sat down on the piano and led worship as people called ...
Happy Saturday!! Can you believe it is officially August!! I feel like August and September are really good months to just dive in and set some really good goals, that way you can build some momentum and be feeling confident going into the holidays.
Based on how things went in July, what adjustments are you making for Aug? What is your non-negotiable for the month?
Wow I can't believe it's the last day of the month already, I have totally slacked on our normal end of month recap!! Let's focus on both things today:
1. What's been the best thing to happen in July?
2 Where did you get stuck this month?
Thankfully I am checking out of the hotel today and going back home (I've been home daily but working and sleeping at the hotel). They think the floors and walls are dried out enough, we just need them to put the walls and toilet back in etc. Should take a few days because of drywall drying etc. But we leave for WV Wednesday of next week so it might all happen after we get back.
Answer those reflection questions in the comments, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Now that it is fall sports season I am usually walking during cross country practice. Really helps me get a break from family for a minute. Our dog was silently judging my grilling skills. I have been really consistent with doing light weights in the morning. I am thankful for the rain we should get tomorrow. I could use a slow day in my sewing room.
