Thankfulness & Happiness go Hand in Hand - A Dose of Encouragement

When you think of Thankfulness what comes to your mind?

When you think of Happiness what comes to your mind?

When my husband and I think of thankfulness we often talk of God's protection over the years.         

       One winter Sunday evening we were driving home on the same road on which we then travelled twice every Sunday to go from our home in Banbridge to the church we attended in Lurgan. The drive takes 20/25 mins depending on traffic but on Sunday evenings there is normally very little traffic on that road.


        A certain section of the road has a few quite significant dips so that as you drive up towards one of these you have no real view ahead and the road is clearly signed to tell drivers about this in advance. So as we drove along in the dark around 8.30pm and came to the slight brow of a hill before one of these dips we suddenly saw several lights of cars coming towards us but as well as this we saw a set of lights coming towards us on our side of the road. 


       This is a country road with a very narrow footpath and hedges or walls etc. so usually no room to manoeuvre. A large lorry (truck for my American friends) was trying to overtake 3 or 4 cars and was still on the wrong side of the road; he had obviously ignored the signs about the dips in the road and also the road markings which clearly showed that no overtaking was allowed on that stretch of road.


        The only thing my husband Fred could do was to swerve in to the side of the road as the lorry tried to cut back into his proper side in front of the lead car. Up until then there had been no break in the narrow footpath but at the exact place that we had to cut in there was a gap in the footpath and in the hedge because there was an entrance to something there. 

Just enough room for our car to get in out of the way as the lorry skimmed past us.

Obviously God had brought us to the right spot at the right time

 and saved our lives.

There are big things in our lives that can cause us to be thankful & happy like this time and the other times He has protected us in the car. 

 You can read about these occasions at:
4 Accidents and a ????  (pt1)
4 Accidents and a ????  (pt2)
4 Accidents and a ????  (pt3)
4 Accidents and a ????  (pt4)
4 Accidents and a ????  (pt5)



But there are also the other smaller things everyday that we sometimes forget to be happy about. 

We have had several times when we have been thankful to God because of his hand of protection but so many other times we forget to be thankful for the things that make us happy.  Most of us will have something each day which makes us happy but often we forget to thank God for that (however small) thing He has provided in our life.

Then also we often forget to thank others who in some big or small way help us out.

One example is the time I was happy to have been able to help someone I only knew online, with somethings that I used to have to ask others to help me with.

Isn't that nice that Caroline acknowledged the help I had given her, she didn't need to do that, but thankyous are always appreciated.


Then there are the friends that you make that no matter what happens throughout the years you know they will always be your friends.  The ones who know you for who you really are.  Such a gift to be thankful for.

Who or what are you thankful for & happy about today?

So many times we are drawn to think on the more unpleasant things in life which lead to unhappiness and they can keep us from being thankful for anything when we are in that frame of mind.  

What can we do to keep the right frame of mind and not get into that attitude that can get worse and worse as we dwell on the hurts and unpleasantness caused by others?

 

We can remember that God has not promised us that everything will always be perfect for us, that every day will not be full of happy events, that many days will bring upon us the more unpleasant things in this imperfect world.

 

One of the saddest times in my life was when I miscarried my first pregnancy.

All those years ago most people did not know what to say or how to comfort someone but God sent me someone – not a particularly close friend, not someone who had gone through a similar experience, not someone who was even married.

He sent me someone who simply said they were sorry about what had happened and were praying for me and then they gave me a card with a little poem.  Somehow that card got lost – I just don’t know how or when but then one day I saw the same poem

 

I bought this box and it sits in my study now (empty) but it reminds me to be thankful and happy that God will care for me through the worst of times.

Memories of times when we proved God's comfort and love are GOOD! 

God’s word also reminds us that: 

• God’s love to us never ends.
• God’s mercy to us never ends.
• God’s faithfulness to us never ends.

So let's not forget that:

• God has promised to be with us at all times, the best and the worst.
• God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us in all our days.
• God is still with us even when we don’t feel we are close to Him.
• God is still demonstrating His love even if we are not looking for it.

Pondering the Psalms - Psalm 107

Each Sunday I choose a Psalm and write down some brief thoughts on it.


Today I'm looking at Psalm 107 

This Psalm falls into four parts:


V. 1-3
Thanksgiving to God


V. 4-32
We see a pattern repeated four times

• The Ungodly Man
• Turning to God & God's Intervention
• Following God's Way
• Goodness of God

V. 33-38
God's Good Hand on Nature
God's Good Hand on Man


V. 39-43
God's Justice & Kindness

This Psalm could be summed up simply by verse 1

Though people do not understand or see God's Hand in this world and in their lives that does not change the fact that He is always there in the world and in our lives 
and we would be wise to accept and acknowledge that.

Then we would understand his love and kindness and let Him change our lives.

Marriage (What's it all about?) - A Dose of Encouragement

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY        

                                               to  

                                                    ME & FRED!

Yes as you read this today we will be married 37 years.

To celebrate we are off on holiday to Malta a new destination for both of us.

So I thought that this post today should be about Marriage and what it's all about.

Fred and I met in 1971


Started going together in 1973


Got engaged in 1975 as we were finishing school and heading off to university so promised our parents we would  wait 4 years until we were both finished there before we would get married.


Sorry but we broke that promise - we are not perfect.


We got married on 27th August 1977

It all seemed to be going in 2 year gaps.


We finished at university in 1979 and went back to jobs in our hometown.


Then it was a 3 year gap before our first Son was born in 1982


Another 2 year gap and our second son was born in 1984


Then three years later our daughter was born in 1987


The next big thing was our move to live in America in 1992 and then our return to Northern Ireland in 1995


Later in 2004 we moved to live in Belgium


And returned to Northern Ireland (but to a different area) in 2010


Last year 2013 was a big year


Firstly we got round to doing our family photo shoot that the kids had promised to buy us for our 30th Wedding Anniversary - not their fault that it didn't get down sooner just the fault of how difficult it is to get us all together in the same country let alone in the same place for long enough to organise something like this.

They will not be very happy about this casual one but I think it is just us with our natural happy faces.

They might be a bit happier (but probably not) with this more formal one of the two of us!



So finally we come to this year 2014 and we are happy and proud to celebrate our 37th Anniversary.


No fancy picture from this year just a happy one our oldest son took of us when we went to visit him in Leeds at Easter.

What were we doing that makes me think of it as being a happy picture?

Well we were in a small village in the Yorkshire dales just walking around relaxing together and laughing at the ducks and ducklings.

That's what marriage is all about, 

sharing the everyday times 

with the person you are meant to be with 

and

 thanking God for each other.

Thankfulness, Goodness, Love - A Dose of Encouragement

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  to our daughter  LINDA

This is the first time you have been away from us for your birthday in all these 26 years.

The first time the boys have not had to complain that you get a day completely devoted to you and they never do because they are at school or work on their birthday.


Not that they ever minded because it was always a complete family affair.


The go-karting

       The ice-skating

              The bowling

                     The cinema   .........

                             and of course always dinner in the place of your choice.


First time apart might as well be on the other side of the world

        - oh yes South Korea does sort of fit the bill.

In church last night Pastor spoke on Psalm 107 v 1  and I think it is very appropriate for you.

Of course it's also appropriate for all of us.

Let's take some time today to focus on this thought from the verse.

         

We should be THANKFUL 

                             Why?  

    Because  God's Love endures forever so He can NEVER STOP being GOOD!

Isn't it great that no matter where we are we can know that God will never stop being good because He will never stop loving us?