Thankful Thursday: Contentment.

These Thursdays just come around so fast! It's really funny how radically different the place i'm at is every Thursday too..it feels like lifetimes apart sometimes...It just goes to show how beautiful and dynamic life is, and that whole "nothing is permanent" thing...i dunno..i don't see it as a problem..

Sure, when everything is good, at the time, we most definitely want it to continue that way because at the time, it is the epitome of what the awesomeness you have access to feels like. All that a bird in hand lark...we don't want to trade for an uncertain "better" or even worse, a "worse"..but the truth is..sometimes, bad times follow an absolutely amazing time, and you are completely annoyed at how things aren't permanent and fall into long monologues about how "good things never last" and similar pessimistic things...for some reason, it's easy to marinate in pessimism..we don't tend to complain about how...bleeeeh bad times never last! always switching up and giving way to better times :P

That bad times, too, will pass, is not the only thing that gives me hope, even more than hope, is the beauty of the bad times serving to improve us and make the good times better. I keep siting the last ten months of my life as possibly some of the best and most fruitful of recent times.

The truth is, within that time, and even now sometimes, i have gone through more pain and hurt that i thought i could bear..heck, more than a year's worth! There have been dark times, painful times where i had no clue why on earth life had to be so frustrating, been angry at God for teasing me (yeah, i know..misguided to the max :P) but that's what it felt like...

But now, standing here and looking back, i just keep thanking God..like, i could go on and on repeating the words and trying to pack what exactly i feel into them..thank God that He can see what i feel without the words. Looking back, i see how every single incident has led me to where i am, has led me to the clearer vision i am now enjoying, has led me to the understanding and peace i now have.

Like, for the first time in a long time, i am content. It's not that i don't have hopes, dreams or aspirations...it's the contentment that comes with knowing that it's all in His hands and when you come to the bridge, you'll cross it, and there is little reason to get so worked up and anxious about it now. It's the peace of knowing that whatever the challenge may be, God has your back. Like, He's got it. That is what gives me peace and calm in the middle of the storms that sometimes blow my way.

A lot of the time (very often in recent times, actually) i feel like i need to apologise for my laid back attitude...but then i realize that i'm not quite sure i'm sorry for it. It's not that i have no plans or i don't care..it's just working with the fact that i.do.not.know. We plan, and God has His plans...so MY plan is basically to be available to do HIS plan..and He has His ways of revealing that to you. The big picture of this plan is that you trust Him. For the most part, this is what you work with. That you trust Him enough to go where He leads..A lot of the time, He tells you where to go on the go...you do not get instructions in the mail 5 years prior..so i take it one day at a time, and do that bit, because i trust Him entirely to steer me to where i need to be...

So that's that basically...that my contentement is not about being lazy, or not caring about anything...it's just the peace that comes with knowing, with realizing that He has this. Like, He really does, and no matter how a situation looks or feels...it's all okay..I'm happy with where i am, i'm thankful for all that has led me here, and i'm thankful for what's in store....diiiiig?

I am thankful for Life

I am thankful for God

I am thankful for His presence in my life

I am thankful for the song "City on the hill" by Casting Crowns and also, for Jango :P

I am thankful for God's guidance each and every day

I am thankful for His conversations :P

I am thankful for prayer

I am thankful for everywhere He leads me...dood my life is like...not coincidental :P

I am thankful for my family..they are ze Best!

I am thankful for my sisters and how loving and supportive and wise and kind and good they are

I am thankful for BigBro's wife...i keep saying that she's an angel..it's like not only does she feel when to hola at me, whenever i talk to her, it's like my spirit experiences a shot of nourishment...okay that sounds...flowery but yeah..

I am thankful for my friends! old, new...side note on the new...sometimes, a lot of the time, things happen without fanfare and you don't realize that your prayer has been answered to the very last detail until a while later...especially if you're blonde like me...i prayed for friends that are godly, that would encourage me right, that would be moral support and understand me on this walk with God...i was lacking those...and you know...God has blessed me with awesooome new friends..and not even new in the technical sense of new human beings alone..but old friendships have has these whole new dimensions opened..and it's amazzzziiing!

I am thankful for faith. For real. That's one word i've seriously considered getting tatted...i cannot hype the concept enough...FAITH! it is a blessing, it is a source of strength, it is hope, it is worth it, it is beautiful!

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for wisdom

I am thankful for kindness

I am thankful for Love

I am thankful for happiness

I am thankful for Joy

I am thankful for inspiration, for creativity

I am thankful for blessings

I am thankful for talents

I am thankful for people

I am thankful for His Spirit

I am thankful for music

I am thankful for summer days..i walked into the kitchen today at about 8pm and the sunshine/beginnings of a sunset was just breathtaking...

I am thankful for beauty..a la the above mentioned...so simple...yet it's enough to make you cry..the fragile innocent beauty of it

I am thankful for humour! i don't know what i'd do without it..and even more than just humour, is when people understand your humour..oh that is epiiiic! and you're vibing and everything...i am thankful that God has placed people that get me in my life...and a LOT of laughter ensues...and laughter...is the best!

I am thankful for this post

I am thankful for today

I am thankful for His perfect plan

I am thankful for forgiveness

I am thankful for Grace

I am thankful!!!!