Chapter One: Praise and Thanksgiving.

2012-12-03T11:54:00.000-06:00

Praise

The first time I really learned to truly praise God was when I lived on my own for the first time away from my hometown, my family, and my friends. It's not to say that I didn't make friends in the new place I was living in, but I went through an entire withdrawal because I was away from what I knew. At least what I'd known for the last seventeen years. The reasons behind why I moved to a new town will remain unknown to most people because to me, there's no reason in bringing up a past that I've already learned from and moved on. [However, I will mention my past later.] I was angry at God for a long time. I'll have to say at least a good three years were spent in resentment, anger and bitterness towards God due to what had happened and I'll let you know that I'm currently in a better place because God let me throw my little fit. Okay, maybe not a little fit, but you know what I mean.

I read the Psalms a lot and the Proverbs, too. I couldn't find peace though. I didn't realize what I was holding onto until I had a really great friend, Travis, tell me that it wasn't at or with God that I needed to be angry or bitter. He told me that I needed to be resentful, angry, and bitter at myself and the person who had sinned against me. And he also told me that, until I learned to praise God and give Him the thanksgiving He deserved for allowing me to live through the experience and learn from it, I was never going to be emotionally and physically healthy. For the longest time, I read:

Psalm 70:1; Make haste, O God, to deliver me; Make haste to help me, O Jehovah. (NIV)

I thought I needed to be delivered when I'd already been delivered from a horrible situation. This was not the right attitude for me to have if I wanted to feel better. Travis said that I needed to read more than just about being delivered. He never let me stray too far from where I needed to be. I thank him for that and he knows that I'd probably be nowhere without him and my other friends while living in that small town. [Grace abounded for me from God and I was given many friends that I still speak to presently.] I've become more patient as time's passed. I no longer hold feelings of resentment towards the one who hurt me. Nor do I hold any other man to that standard.

When I made my exodus out of the relationship of damage, I was thanking God for my life. I was seriously that scared! But that's all I was thankful for at that point. I wasn't thankful for my sister leading me down the road to emotional health, I wasn't thankful for the opportunity to have my own place, I wasn't thankful for anything except the fact that I was alive! I asked God repeatedly why this happened to me. My head was reeling. Forgiveness was not on my agenda. Neither was forgetting, but that's to be talked about later. I gave myself a year. I wanted enough time to heal my own heart and to be able to come to terms that I, myself, made the choice to stay in the relationship of damage. Travis made me read with him a lot of scripture. Or he'd quote it for me.

Exodus 15:2; The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. (NIV)

I read that multiple times before realizing that God got Moses and the children of Israel out of slavery. I know, I know. Moses didn't grow up as a slave. But he started as a Jew. I still held God responsible for my mistakes up to that point. And that started the beginning of what was a long, painful process. Even if it began with me being more ornery and stubborn than I was four years earlier. I'm not going to deny it either. I'm still just as ornery and stubborn; I just know how to be tactful about it. So as a continual retrospect, I'll be learning in this process as much as you will. I pray that you'll find out more about yourself and your relationship with Christ and the Lord ten times better than when you started.

I've asked myself questions and I still ask those same questions. I may not think of them right off hand when I wake up in the morning, but the things I want to realize about praising God and giving Him thanks for all my blessings, they cross my mind at various times during the day. Such as, when do I have time to talk to God today? Do I have time right now? Or is it a continous conversation that I have with God? Am I reading too much into what praise is or could become? How much is too much? Is there ever a time that God wants you to stop praising Him? Why are some days harder than others to praise the Lord? How can I change that attitude in myself to praise Him even when my day has been truly hard and hectic? Until recently, I'd never really held myself to a higher standard of praising and worshiping my God. I'd always just done it when good things were happening. And that's not wrong. However, I wasn't praising Him for waking me up each day or for the fact that I live in a country where simple things, like education, are available to me. I know this sounds trite but believe it or not, He wants the praise for all things big, small, trite, and important. He's God. He's the Master and Commander of our lives and we need to show Him thanksgiving and praise for it!! No matter what the trial is, He knows what you can handle. He knows you so well that every hair on your head has a number. And that's something I have to constantly remind myself. I've put myself into certain situations because God has given me the power of choice. He's brought me out of a lot of dangerous situations and I thank Him daily for that!!! I don't cry those tears of shame and embarrassment from the past relationship anymore! Now it's more tears of joy and happiness. (Although, tears of stress and frustration do come out. I am, after all, human!)

My gratitude about the relationship of damage is abundant! I know that's hard to understand. Because how can I come out of a relationship of damage and be grateful about it? Right? That's more than likely the first question that popped into your head. How can she be grateful that she had a relationship of damage? That's crazy! Okay, first--let me define a relationship of damage. A relationship that of a person or persons who are abused; physically, emotionally, or mentally. A relationship of damage! I won't explain details right off the bat. I'll save that for later. I'm grateful for that relationship of damage. I know it sounds very odd. Hear me out!

Romans 8:18-30

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (NIV)

I'm supposed to what? Praise Him for putting through a trial, such as a relationship of damage? Are you kidding? Crazy, right? But I do. And here's five reasons why.

I'm alive
I've got a family who loves me
I was able to leave the situation, despite leaving my home, my friends and family.
God put people in my life that found me as more than just another pretty face.
Resentment and anger was mine to lose!

Those are five small reasons as to why I praise Him getting me through that whole horrible situation. I moved away from my family, my friends, the only home I'd known for the last seventeen years! I praise God for me living through that situation. I'm alive!! I'm able to take my experiences and tell everyone else what I've gone through!

Thanksgiving

Colossians 3:15-17

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(NIV)

Praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand. I may have some scriptures say the same thing about both. I'm thankful because I'm alive! I have made a decision to live the way most people would not take seriously. It frustrates some people in my circle, but once they realize that I'm happier this way, they let it go.

Jonah 2:9
But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”(NIV)

Even Jonah praised and thanked God for all the things that happened to him. I'm not sure how happy I'd be if I were swallowed by a huge fish. (Whether it was a huge fish or a whale, I'm not sure. That's not my point.)

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)

Give thanks for everything. And in every thing, give thanks. It seems simple enough, right? How do we do that? Do we ask God to give us the ability to have thanksgiving in our hearts for Him? Is it something we learn or just something we're born with? This relationship of damage has made an imprint on me. I've never had something this dramatic happen to me. There are questions below for you to answer for yourself. No one else but you.

When I'm praising God, is my heart in the right place? Have I examined my intentions?

When I'm giving thanks for all my blessings, is my heart in the right place?

Do I have the correct attitude when I'm praising and thanking God for all the big, small, trite and important things in my life?

Does my praising and thanksgiving attitude show in my actions to others in the workplace, at school, at home, at the store and anywhere else I go?

Introduction

2012-12-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

I'm in a state of wondering what I'm doing in my life that's good. My church family is awesome! There's a lot of things that we do as a church family to help those in need. We have what's called the Hands and Feet ministry. Meaning, we are to be the hands and feet of Christ in serving others in our community and around the world. There are several missionaries under our care and in our prayers. And I love that about my church home and church family! But I'm having some trouble in how I'm to do good in my own life. I'm not claiming to be a perfect Christian. I'm a sinner like everyone else. I'm just looking for something to do with the best of intentions. I want to do something to serve others while praising God and giving His Son the glory in what I do and having the best attitude. I've asked myself a laundry list of questions about doing things for the good of others. It's not that I don't do good things for other people. But how often? Daily? Finding something to do everyday to help serve others for the sake of good can be easy if you're looking.

However, are you doing it to serve Christ and to praise God? This entire time I could've been doing more for God and I know it's never too late. I'm just looking to fulfill my life in a way that gives glory to God and serves Him the way He's taught us to in the Bible. There will be verses about service and living life in general. Christ is the Center of my life right now, especially since I'm single. If I make you question where you are in your life and/or your faith, I'm only doing so in the best way possible. I've got a lot to work on myself and I'm praying and hoping that this will be a growing experience for everyone involved. There will be questions that I've thought of already and more than likely, questions will come along later also. I suggest that you read every verse carefully and read it multiple times. I've done the same. I interpret verses differently than you do and sometimes, I interpret verses differently each time I read them. I pray you find the answers you're looking for in the Bible more than in the chapters that follow. The greatest advice I can give you is to be happy in Christ as a single person before starting any type of relationship or friendship. If you aren't happy with Christ as a single person, the relationship or friendship won't be Christ-centered and it's already doomed for failure!

Big girls do cry!

Chapter One: Praise and Thanksgiving.

Introduction