Today is Thuuuuursday!

Does anybody else feel this week draaaaging along? It hasn't been bad... it's actually been a GOOD week... just so very long. This morning I wanted to cry when my alarm went off. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but I at least winced... and I definitely rolled over and set my alarm for a later time after I realized I have a free evening to exercise so WHY exercise at 5:00am? It didn't help that the extra 40 minutes of sleep only felt like 40 seconds, but that's fine. Tonight I'm going to try to be in bed by TEN. That would be awesome. :)

Anyways - enough ramblings about my sleep - today is Thankful Thursday. It's kind of like a holiday around here on my blog... I really like to celebrate. Even when I don't feel like celebrating, I know that it's the right thing to do... the JOY of the Lord is our strength! (i.e. The Honor Academy's Celebration LTE - it's healthy to celebrate what God has done in our lives!)

Today I'm thankful for peace.

Peace infiltrates my life in the most intricate and wonderful ways...

Philippians 4:4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: REJOICE!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.

And the PEACE of God, which transcends [rises above, goes beyond, exceeds] all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

God's abundant peace is beyond all of my human understanding. It's His peace that guards my heart and mind against stress, fear, doubt, worry, anxiety. So even in the midst of the thousand questions that always find their way back into my mind ("How will I pay for that?" "What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?" "What am I afraid of?" "How can I continue growing and learning and becoming more like Jesus most effectively?") this week has been peace-FILLED. Even though life is still hard, God is sovereign. Even though I have nothing, He is everything. I'm thankful that His Word is written on my heart... and that enables me to walk in peace - knowledge of the TRUTH.

I'd like to give you a little homework... (Emily, Heather and I give each other homework all the time... it's great accountability) ... post a comment with at least ONE thing that you are THANKFUL for or are celebrating today. It can be anything. Think simple OR complex. Sometimes when I make my "thankful" lists, I can only come up with the basics like: my pillow, the beautiful trees, the comfy couch in my living room, the food in the pantry -- those are all things to be thankful for! I know how much a thankful heart transforms MY life - I hope you will choose to experience that, too!