Give Thanks in All Circumstances

 Earlier this week, we drove to Indiana late in the evening to come visit family and friends for Thanksgiving.  As we drove across the dark interstate one child was crying fighting sleep, another was screaming at the top of his lungs simply because he has discovered his screaming voice and thinks it is HILARIOUS, and the third was crying in frustration because he was annoyed with all the crying from the other two.  (A) and I were feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the crying from the backseat and looked at each other with pained expressions, then I giggled and told him I had just been teaching my high school youth group kids that we are called to give thanks in ALLLL circumstances.  That night I was thankful all three of them have healthy lungs, and then maybe a little more thankful when they all gave up and fell asleep for the rest of the trip.

 

The past year has been full of “circumstances.”  Some of those days it was extremely easy to be thankful, like the day sweet (lk) was born, and the afternoon we got to introduce her to her adoring big brothers.  It was easy to be thankful on summer mornings when the kids enjoyed the sunshine of being outside and we had the leisure of no schedule.  It was easy to be thankful on days when my family was all together, when my students enjoyed cool projects I had planned for them, when we spent the evenings with friends, or shared a rare date day.  But I can’t lie, some days have been much harder to be thankful.  It was hard to be thankful when the dr started worrying about pre-eclampsia, when we were living in quarantine and feeling extremely stressed, and on the days when teaching was HARD.  It was hard to feel thankful when loved ones experienced health issues, when they found a mass in my lung, when a friend passed so very young, and on days when I was mentally and emotionally drained from trying to juggle it all.  However, those hard days and circumstances don’t change the calling God has given us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” 

 All circumstances… to me that reminds me that thankfulness is not a feeling dependent on what is happening, but an attitude with which I should live.  Thankful that even on the hard days I know He is holding me up, and on the good days He has blessed me beyond measure.  Thankful that in difficult circumstances I still know who holds tomorrow, even when I don’t know what tomorrow holds. 

 

Today, we will hop in the truck with our kids to make some Thanksgiving rounds.  I doubt that they will be perfect car riders all day, and amid the food and the family there will probably be moments I feel overwhelmed with wrangling everyone.  But I know that I am overwhelmingly blessed as well, and so I will try, with all my heart, to give thanks in all circumstances. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Cheering Section

 I firmly believe that life requires a cheering section- some people who have your back and encourage you in all your joys and trials.  I’m pretty sure I believe in this cheering section idea because I grew up with such a strong one.  A family who loved me enough to encourage and support me on both the best and worst days, who reminded me who I was and whose I was, told me not all days would be this hard in the tough times, and kept me humble because not all days would be as amazing as the good ones.  I’m thankful to still have the support and influence of that cheering section, and that they are helping me pass that on to the next generation. 

 

I realize how incredibly blessed I was (and still am) to have that kind of a family, that isn’t the way it happens in all homes.  I have two awesome parents who work hard, serve others, give of their time, talents, and resources, and are fully committed to their faith, family, and each other.  They are a pretty epic example in my opinion.  A little over a week ago, I was able to capture some of my favorite photos of them that I have ever taken.  They are not perfectly posed photos, they are actually a little blurry, and the lighting isn’t amazing, but the moment they captured will forever be etched in my heart. 

 

At the recent American Angus Convention, my dad was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Angus Association.  This is a huge honor and responsibility, and a dream has been on his heart for several years now.  He has committed his entire career to the beef cattle industry and the Angus breed in particular- and my mom has been there right beside him for the past 40+ years of that time.  While she doesn’t work cows beside him, she is the cheering section that has his back, picks him up, keeps him humble, and makes sure his shirt and tie are appropriately coordinated when he is headed off the farm for events.  For years I have watched them work together to support the industry and the people behind the livestock, I can’t help but be proud of them.  And because our parents were always there for us, it was an easy decision for the three of us girls to be at the convention supporting Dad’s run for the board.  The morning of the election meeting, we sat with Mom (and part of the son-in-laws and grandkids) towards the back of the room, while Dad was up front in the area where he was supposed to be sitting with the Indiana voting delegates.  After the results of the election were announced, we were able to clap and smile broadly, but since there was other official meeting business for the delegates to vote on, it was nearly another hour before things adjourned and we were able to physically see Dad.  When the time came, my mom made a beeline for the front of the room, and I followed after her with my camera in hand.  I was able to capture the moment she got to hug him in congratulations, the cowboy kiss his best girl in thanks for her support, and the look of joy on both of their faces.  This was honestly a celebration for both of them, something they had worked for together- Dad out front, and Mom in the cheering section.  They make me proud to be their daughter.  They make me hope that some day my grown children will look at (A) and me the way I look at them.  They encourage me to show our kids how to be a part of the cheering section.

 

“And let us consider how we may spur oen another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Baggage

Traveling with children is an entirely different ballgame.  This weekend we will by flying with our kiddos for the first time.  I will just admit I have never spent so much time planning and calculating a trip. 

 

Usually, I see how much I can cram in my free carry-on bag and off we go.  But planning to fly with young children has been a totally different experience.  I have spent days figuring out what everyone needs, what bag they will be packed in, what things we will be in big trouble if we forget (we don’t have a rental car, so no runs to the StuffMart if we forgot something), and how to keep everyone entertained during the travel portion.  At the same time, I’m concerned about packing TOO much and having overweight suitcases as well as the excess stress of dragging around stuff we didn’t really need.  It has been an eventful process to say the least.

How do ya pack up all this gear, cuteness, AND luggage

It has also sounded much like a conversation I had this week about my life, stress level, and workload in multiple areas of my life.  One of the “coaches” I work with suggested to me this week that I should make a list of the things I need to get done (that was a silly request… spend 2 minutes with me and you would quickly realize my life is always running off 2-3 lists).  She also suggested I prioritize the list in the order it needs to be completed (again, duh, that is always how a list works, right?!) But THEN she said I should go through the list and start determining what could be done by someone else and start delegating off those tasks.  Ouch…. It really sounds like a super helpful plan, just not something I have ever been good at.

 

 Some of the things on my to do list are excess baggage- things that are weighing me down, stressing me out, and I need to pass them off.  As I have checked off the travel “packing” list I keep reminding myself… you don’t need to take it all.  Perhaps I need to apply that concept to other areas of my life.  There is definitely some stress-baggage I could pass off and allow my Savior to carry for me, for He is much stronger than I am, and he doesn’t have to work from a list.

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30