One morning last week, on my way back to our new home in the RV, my thoughts veered toward and lingered on our cramped living circumstances awaiting my arrival.
Forgetting we are in the middle of an amazing adventure with God, I allowed my mind to dip into the weary well of despair and drink heartily of its welcoming, yet bitter, waters.
The practice of thanksgiving has been neglected.
And a life of thanks living had taken a momentary turn for the worse.
Yet, in the midst of the fog, an invitation from God arrived. An opportunity to embrace eucharisteo broke through the surrounding cloud.
That’s when I realized the blessing.
I have a screen door!
I’d been envious of homes with screen doors. A way to invite inside fresh breezes and cleansing.
Our new home on wheels has the perfect little screen door. It had been there all along. Waiting to be noticed. Lingering on its hinges as I passed it by day after day with my eyes out of focus. I was lacking a vision for treasured blessings awaiting discovery.
What a pleasure to use my screen door on that simply delightful morning offering a newness of cool, fall weather.
For this I gave thanks.
Ahhhh.
The refreshment of grace.
The renewing dew of fellowship through the intentional giving of thanks.
On Mondays, across the world-wide web, seekers of joy offer thanksgiving in order to live fully right where we are.
Although I do not regularly post my multitudes, I am still practicing thanks living.
In spacious homes. In small hotel rooms. And in smaller RVs.
The desire for fellowship with my Creator through offering Him praise travels with me no matter where our family moves.
And today I am thankful for…
a husband who’s willing to swim against the tide of culture
a teenager whose sense of humor has impeccable timing
a younger son who offers me more grace than I deserve
friends who refuse to tickle my ears with comfortable advice
A SCREEN DOOR!
How about you?
Are you able to discover hidden treasures no matter the circumstance?
I’d be blessed if you’d share your multitudes here with me!
Nice piece. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for the comment and for stopping by!
That reminds me of our rv after the storm. We all took squished face pictures on the screen door:)
Enjoy your view!
How fun! It’s time for some squished face photos over here now!! Thanks for the idea!
Thank you for this, your pictures are as beautiful as your words.
Thank you very much for the compliment! I wish I could take credit for the photos. If you click them, you’ll see who really did take them!
Oh, this is wonderful…great post! Such a good reminder to always be grateful for what we have, instead of thinking about what we don’t and to seek out the good things in life. Have a great day!
It is so easy to focus on what I now don’t have (a dishwasher, regular-sized appliances, rooms). This time of transition is certainly teaching me to seek out the good things, Brian!
That is so cool. Love your mindset and no doubt God is in the process of doing great things with you and yours. Be blessed, my friend!
yes, so true. We are always looking for the bigger treasures; most of the time the best ones are right in front of us.
Yes, that’s it! Right in front of us are the most precious treasures!!
My wife and I were going through an extreme tough time. We were forced to take up dumpster diving, searching for cans and bottles for refunds. One day, we discovered an unopened package of chocolate cookies. We praised God all the way home.
Did we like dumpster diving? Yucks, no! But when you’re going through a season like that, you’d better learn to praise God in all things…if you want to move on to the next season with God.
Oh. My. Larry. When I read this, my mouth fell open. I feel like I know you. So to imagine you dumpster diving was crazy. Are you serious? Do you discuss this on your blog? Send us the link.
I pass a dumpster every day entering and leaving our RV park. And, now, as I pass, I think of ALL the things to be thankful for because I’m not dumpster diving. Seriously.
And the truth you shared is very deep: learn to praise God in all things if you want to move on to the next season with God. You are right on! And that’s exactly where we’re at. We find ourselves drifting back into complaining (about what we no longer have) and have to jerk ourselves back into an attitude of gratitude. Because we’re ready for that next season!
Carol and I have been through hell, not in our personal relationships so much, although trials do add stress to the mix. I did a series on marriages beginning in December, 2009, and ending in January, 2010, which has a lot of personal stuff. All the links are here:
http://larrywho.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/marriage-is-a-mystery-a-big-one-conclusion/
If you read them, you’ll quickly see that we understand what you are going through and sadly it takes time.
Thank you, Larry. I don’t spend much time on the actual computer; so I’m about to print out what you’ve written and get to reading. I appreciate your transparency and encouragement!
Refreshing perspective…So much to be thankful for, thanks for the reminder.
Yes, oh so much to be thankful for every moment of every day.