Hey friends, I don’t know about you, but around here it’s been quite a downer of a week. It just seems that all the news from both friends and the world at large, is H.E.A.V.Y.
Sure, sometimes the appropriate response is a sarcastic “Your problems are soooo real!”
We need safe places to be real about our mess, but we also need to balance our pain with the discipline of genuine gratitude.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:18
So, after a week of ugly politics, continued war, hard diagnoses, hurting marriages, and loss on many fronts, here’s some stuff I’m thankful for.
- Real politics may have us banging our head against a wall, but we’ll always have West Wing reruns.
2. Instagram, because it’s all the fun, inspiring stuff
and, well, Instagram PUPPIES because who doesn’t need a cute puppy to cheer them up?
3. Texts from my daughters doing fun things.
Katy bowling at the White House.
Maggie competing on the Tesla ping pong team.
4. Things that make me uncomfortable, but challenge me to grow.
“That which I refuse to thank Christ for, I refuse to believe Christ can redeem.” Ann Voskamp
5. 
‘Nuf said.
6. An oldie, but an appropriate goodie.
So today, this…
And then….sometimes we just need to wallow in our sadness. And by that I mean turn off CNN and watch a Lifetime movie with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.
I’m a total political junkie, slightly left of center, often flipping channels between news shows to get different viewpoints. I’ve even been known to go to church on Saturday night so I can catch all the Sunday morning political shows. So to say I am dismayed by recent primary election returns is an understatement. Puppies don’t help me (more likely to choose Ben and Jerry’s).
What does help is when I remember that God is not at all surprised by recent events. He knows and is still in control.
Yes, puppies and Ben and Jerry’s are only a temporary distraction!:) So thankful that God is the author of our story and He’s written a good ending! “Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Thanks for the honesty and the laughs. Katy got to bowl at the White House!!!! Too cool for words. Keep writing.