Dear Lord…

Today I am praying for all of the people I am related to by blood or law. It’s such a long list. I am not sure how often some of these folks pray — for themselves or others — because everyone is in a different place in their relationship with God and it is my privilege to pray for them! I love them each and so I pray for :

their relationship with God, May they grow in their knowledge of His love for them and their need for a Savior.

perseverance through trials

physical health

mental and emotional health

good relationships with the people they love and care about

their jobs and studies

I typically start with my husband, our children, and the grandchildren. Then I move on to my siblings and their spouses and their children. Then my husband’s siblings and spouses and children and grandchildren. Then the living aunts and uncles on both sides and then all the cousins and their families. Then I move onto the next round of second and third cousins on my side and then to those on Don’s side. I don’t necessarily list everyone’s names the further down the line I go because I actually don’t know or remember all the kids of all the cousins but I typically will say the head of the family and ask God to bless those who fall under that family line. Honestly, it all depends on the time I have that day. And it may not always be a formal prayer time. If they cross my mind during a day, I might just ask God to bless their day and their situation. Formal prayer time is great, but I would rather think of my day as one long conversation with God.

Dear Heavenly Father…

The birds are singing so sweetly this morning. The coffee tastes great. And I am thankful to be back home after a week of traveling for work.

Please be with all those who are running small, family businesses! From the day-to-day details to the big picture plan to the finances — t’s a lot to juggle, particularly in the last three years with all of the pandemic challenges.

Please grant Your wisdom in decisions and the energy and discernment about where the efforts should be invested. Help the people who are looking for particular goods and services find the businesses that match their needs. Help satisfied customers share their experiences so positive words are circulating and a good reputation grows stronger.

And, finally, help the business owners to be able to rest. The last several years has taken quite a bit of energy in trying to figure out what can work with supply chain and other restrictions. Thank you for always providing and paving the way!

Amen.

Heavenly Father…

Please be with those we know who are struggling with physical and mental illness. Please be with the doctors as they diagnose and treat. Please be with the patient as their bodies and minds respond to the medication and therapy and head towards healing. Please be with friends and family members who love and support and encourage the patient.

We ask for Your love and compassion to be poured out on those who are learning that their condition is incurable. May they find comfort in You and, if they don’t know You, may they be drawn to You. May we find ways to be of service to those who are walking this road in our circle.

Only You know the number of our days. May we have courage to share our faith in You when we are in a position to, entrusting those we love into Your care and continue to intercede for them even if their hearts are not ready to receive You. May we never grow weary of interceding for others. Give us eyes to see the needs of those around us.

Amen.

In spite of…

In spite of ________________ [list all of the negatives things that could be stated], I am thankful for ____________ [fill in the blank with anything that is a positive].

In keeping with this current theme of giving thanks, I am working on how often I complain about anything. It isn’t that there aren’t things to complain about, but I am often a “glass half full person” until I am in a rut and I am not. I do not like those ruts. Just like those ruts in the road, this complaining attitude works its way into my mind and heart and quickly spills out of my mouth.

I think it is ok to point out the difficult, unfortunate, and unhelpful things about a situation. But I like to temper it with anything positive. There may be nothing good about a circumstance, but there are still things to be thankful for. They do not have to be related at all to the challenging situation and sometimes they are not, because there are some hard, hard things that happen in life.

But I know God is working. And I am thankful for His daily gifts, for the people in my life, for His saving grace through Jesus. What is on your list of things to be thankful for? The key to becoming more thankful is to express more appreciation and “give thanks”.

What are you thankful for today?

Thank you for today…

There is so much to be thankful for.

And if I get stuck in a place where I can’t see it, I start to shrivel. This is why staying tethered to God is so important for me. If I lose sight of Him, I miss His perspective. Not that I ever truly have God’s point of view entirely, but when I am able to entrust Him with my day, my needs, and my concerns and know that He is taking care of the details, I can be thankful. When I get caught up in my concerns, I get lost.

As I start this day, I am thankful God goes before me. Whatever unfolds for the day, He is there with me and walks alongside me. When my heart believes this, I can look at the day as a gift to learn and grow, I can learn more about God and I can learn more about myself and the ways God is growing me.

Thank you, Lord, for today!

The gift of family

I have been gifted with some wonderful family members. While we certainly don’t all agree on everything, there are common bonds of family history and relatives. There are various degrees of genetic connection to these “relations” and, of course, there are some who have no genetic relationship but we are connected “in law”. There are some “in laws” who really know how to be family. What a blessing.

I am thankful to be surrounded by such diverse and wonderful people.

And then there are other folks who are not related to you by blood or law and yet they feel like all the good things about family. They are in your life because they choose to be. And, sometimes, they know us better than family. There is not an obligation to connect, it just is such a natural thing. A relationship so natural and frequent that sometimes the kids think they are cousins because of the amount of time together, and it just seemed easier to have them referred to using something more familiar like “Aunt Mary” and “Uncle Don” instead of the more formal “Mr. ________ or Mrs. ________”.

I am thankful for the people I love in my life, whether or not we are technically related. God seems to bring just who I need in my life at just the right time.

Searching…

A while back I noticed something that I had liked to wear was nowhere to be found. When I tried to recall the last time I wore it, I couldn’t remember. When did it disappear? How could something I wear on the regular just vaporize? What a mystery!

Off and on I have thought about this item, but not ever long enough to stop what I was doing and go on the hunt for it to track it down. It just popped in my mind and seemed to leave almost as quickly. But then I really started to get curious about it. Where could it be? So I asked my youngest daughter. She remembered it — it was just a sweater — but she hadn’t seen it.

At this point, my desire to pinpoint the location of this item stepped more into the limelight. I went through the hanging clothes in my closet, one by one. I looked on the floor of the closet to see if it fell off the hanger. And I checked my coat-turned-sweater rack. Nope.

But, the other day, I was packing for an event and went hunting for some tablecloths. Thankfully, I had remembered seeing them while doing something else so I knew exactly where they were. But while I was gathering that stuff, I noticed something else that I could use for the event and then, low and behold, there was that missing sweater. Woohoo! I retraced how it got to that spot and it made perfect sense. Another person was involved and it boiled down to I was going to deal with that box later and later was much later than I intended.

This is just a little example of how my brain works and it really isn’t the main focus of the story. The human brain is buzzing with so many things and keeping something and someone “top of mind” is often a challenge.

But God….

He doesn’t get distracted or waylaid in His search for His sheep. He is not forgetful. He is not late. He is always available, eager to communicate. There is no need to make an appointment or “get ready” to meet with Him. As much as a human loves and cares for you, God operates at another level. The process of me seeking this crazy sweater just happened to remind me that God is and has always been there.

Thank you, Father, for meeting me, wherever I am!

Danke Thank you

I enjoy learning about the flavors, styles, and sounds of other ethnic cultures! I was around a lot of people originating from other nations throughout my childhood and it made such a positive impact on me.

And, since I married a guy with Dutch and German heritage, I am blessed to learn more about that part of our family’s history.

So, thank you, Lord, for all the people around the world. I have so much to learn about how and why different cultures do the things they do. And there is a world of food and folk art out there to explore. You have gifted us with amazing minds that can invent creative solutions, celebrate, communicate, and find beauty where it might not be immediately evident.

And thank you for the gorgeous sunrise this morning! Your creative work is all around me!

Köszönöm – Thank you

There are so many ways to express thanks. Köszönöm means “I thank you” in Hungarian. And with that, I thank God for my ethnic heritage.

I hope you are able to thank God for yours as well! It’s fascinating that we carry our ethnicity within us — it’s passed to us through the generations in our DNA and those cultural habits that have survived life in a busy world. And we often end up passing these on within our family line, too

Sometimes we try to deny, avoid, or ignore our ethnic heritage. And that may be because of how we have been treated because of it or our own feelings of disdain for it for whatever reason. But, do a DNA test and you will see the facts.

You have been uniquely crafted by an amazing God. Your ethnic heritage is woven into you and shows up in your appearance. If your family maintained any ethnic traditions in your family then you might be drawn to certain accents, foods, music, or folk art. Maybe you grew up hearing the sounds of another language in your home due to your heritage.

My Hungarian heritage has absolutely contributed to who I am today. God can use anything and everything to deepen our understanding of who we are and why we are here. Start by thanking Him for His creative work — and that He created you!

🎶 And I just thank you Father for making me ME! 🎶

Thank you!

This morning I woke up at a decent time after sleeping through the night. My house has power. I had coffee to brew. I have running water. And I had 1/2 and 1/2 for my coffee! I often forget to appreciate these little things that have become so a part of my routine – I expect them to be there when I want them. Whatever would I have done if I lived 100 years ago? A lot more than I have to do today! I would be collecting the wood for the fire, drawing water from the well, and milking the cow for the cream in my coffee. Those activities are all blessings, too, they just aren’t a part of my day. But a good chunk of my day has been freed up by not doing those things, so what am I doing instead?

Heavenly Father,

It is so easy for me to get carried away by the tasks and responsibilities of this life and simply forget to thank you for the new day and the new possibilities that are a part of it.

Help me to notice all of your provisions today and give you thanks for them. Help me to use my time wisely!

Amen.