jennyjennygenesis
homemaking, homeschooling, and striving for holiness
Pentecost, a Broken Arm, and Babies!
Well, folks….Still interviewing and praying on the post about our sisters who can’t conceive or who have experienced the loss of a child. For you, I am researching this a bit more before it comes to print. Right now, I am filled with so much hope and excitement for the future, I can barely contain the joy!
Friends, there is so much good in this life, and there is so much to be truly thankful for! I can share with you my blessings, but if you struggle with contentment, I want you to feel comfort in these words: The Holy Spirit is alive and well, and whatever it is that you like to fret about, whatever is weighing heavy upon your heart, it is already taken care of, in the mind of God. So, put a message in a bottle, burn a letter, yell it from the mountain top, whatever you need to do to let it go, really just do it.
During Pentecost mass, I saw a vision of the tabernacle on the altar being open, and inside was the ciborium, which had its lid off, and there was a flame sitting there, burning bright. It reminded me of the Olympic torch. The scene I have playing through my mind is a literal flame of love! I imagine the Olympic torch being thrust from hand to hand until it reaches your hand, and feeling the weight of the powerful flame, take it and run it up onto the alter, you will see the shiny gold tabernacle and you will feel the love of the Holy Spirit pouring out of the open doors, the water runs out like a tidal wave, gushing over you, over the torch, over the whole entire congregation. The water of healing, of hope, it’s there in that box. The Holy Spirit is sometimes described as a bird, a dove, a presence, a feeling, a loud wind, even sometimes as fire, or tongues of fire. Any way you would like to describe the Holy Spirit, works, but to me the best description is water, but a water that changes what it touches so completely that it will never be the same. Water fills whatever shape it is poured into, it can accommodate you wherever you are. If you are feeling weak and tired in your life, it will bolster you with courage to face the day. If you are feeling worn down by the world, by temptations, by any form of sin that may be crowding in on you, take in a big gulp of Holy Spirit!!
A good friend recently reminded me to be thankful…….here is my list of gratitude for today:
1. Thankful for my hubby, who never stops loving me and encouraging me, and to this day always makes my heart skip a beat! His hard working, driven soul, his love of God, and his generosity in loving our, and others children……Honey, you inspire me…..
2. Children, every one of them, because they all are so unique and special and wonderful in their own way! Adam, because, even though I don’t see you as often as I would LIKE, I respect you, and I love you, and I’m proud of your music making! Share your wonderful talent! Judah, for your ability to keep the time, and keep being sweet & helpful despite a broken arm!, Eva, for your hardworking spirit and great sense of humor, you keep us all giggling, Mira, because you are so giving with physical affection, and you never tire with playing with the little kids, Siah, because you are one tough guy! Where would we be without your endless jokes and amazing drawings of three-headed dragons? Cana, because your curiosity is inspiring, and I find your outgoing, bubbly, talkative personality to constantly make me smile, you really are a treasure! Anya, because you are a bundle of elvish personality, magic, and surprise! I never know what you will say, and I can’t get enough of you! And last but not least, our newest family member, baby number 8, due sometime at the end of January, we are so excited to meet you, and love you!
3. My home, I know you aren’t always as big as I’d like you to be, and your single bathroom creates a line several times a day, but overall I am ever so thankful for your warmth and peacefulness, and I am so overjoyed to be living here for our seventh year!
4. My Cleaning Angel, Katie! I know we all think we can do it all, all the time. But I can’t. Abel and I hired Katie a couple of years ago, and she has changed our lives. She whips through the house like a tornado of mysterious super-tidy genius! I am so pleased with your work, and for coming to fix my mess. Don’t ever leave!
5. Friends! I can’t be more blessed by the people God has put in my life. What a wonderful blessing it is to be in a community of believers, at Pentecost mass I was thinking of all my friends and neighbors who I love so much, and the beauty of a community trying to encourage each other, reach out to each other, and really try our darnedest to be friends we had such fun yesterday at our neighborhood garage sale….And then I thought of the Community it must have been among the disciples that day, when our church began, all the different languages clouding up the air, the apostles opening their mouths to speak the gospel to the unbelievers, and lo and behold, a different language comes out of them! It must have felt like a wild dream! We can expect miracles like this, today I think. Our world truly longs for the good, the pure, the beautiful!! Our world is need of GOD!! Don’t be afraid to share the gospel. And please pray for me to be brave enough to share it too.
My dear friend, Cara, has started this cool Facebook thing about being thankful, and I wanted to share her post:
“Making a point to find the good in life, the beauty in the messiness, and the profound in the ordinary swings my emotional pendulum from despair to joy during the troublesome times, and helps banish boredom from the ordinary moments of my every day life.
And because all the goodness in my life is NOT because I deserve it or because I’m entitled to it, but ONLY because God chooses to pour goodness out on me because of His great love for me, I’ll give Him the credit.
These verses are dear to my heart and motivation for both developing a habit of looking for the abundance of His gifts to me and for sharing them with others. There are many more verses. Feel free to add some if you want.
1. My very favorite: Psalm 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.
2. John 1:16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
3. James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
4. Psalm 30:12 …that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
5. Psalm 35:18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.
I’m hashtagging my list this week with the hashtags #1000gifts and#graceupongrace (from John 1:16). Feel free to join me in making a list of blessings this week and use the hashtags if you want. And even if you don’t have a relationship with God, feel free to join in anyway!”
What an inspiration, I thank you, Cara! I will be reading the scripture verses out loud to my family at breakfast, and FORCING them to write lists of things they are thankful for, we all need to remember to praise God for the many gifts!
There have been lots of opportunities to see God working in our midst, lately! While at our Memorial Day camp out, my daughter broke her arm during a pick up soccer game. It was very painful, and because of that the whole family felt her pain, and we decided to do what we could to try to make her comfortable, pray with her, and care for her. It’s been tough, especially missing out on playing soccer and swimming in our NEW POOL!!! But, she’s a trooper, and with support and Gods grace, we will pass through this season as well! It’s like that with Jesus. He doesn’t expect us to fix everything, like I can’t personally fix Judah’s arm, but He does ask us to do what we can….I can give her a back rub, or brush her hair, or in general just try to be there for her. Jesus knows our hearts. He knows how bad we just want to conquer all of the everything hard in our life. But He just sits there, patiently waiting for us to call on Him.
There are several weddings this summer, and Family Camp, and Soccer Tournaments, and many other wonderful things to look forward to, best of all is my dear friend is coming to visit this July!!!! Monay!!!I can’t wait to see her and her beautiful children!
What are you looking forward to??
Write your own list! Do it!
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