Attitude of Gratitude

It's easy to focus on the things that I'm not content about.

Someone has something that is "bigger and better" than me. 

It's raining when I want it to be sunny.

Plans fail. 

People disappoint. 

It's not too hard to make a long list of complaints and then dwell on those throughout the day. We even go so far as to turn around and grumble about the very blessings God has given us.

But how often do we go through life with an attitude of gratitude? Living with the "I wish this...I wish that..." mindset is just going to make our life miserable. If asked what I was thankful for, you may hear, "God, family, Bible, house, food, etc"...you know, the same stuff that everyone says. And its true, I AM thankful for those things, but God often places in our day other little blessings that we overlook. Little things that we are too busy to notice. Things that we forget to thank God for...

My littlest sister running up to me and informing the that she's Jessie the cowgirl (from Toy Story) and that she's going to ride on me because I'm Bulls-eye her horse - she won't be little forever...

Cool breezes signaling that autumn is near...

My dad and sister doing chores for me if I'm gone for the evening...

Sisters to laugh with...

Getting an encouraging note from a friend...

The warm sunshine on a beautiful Summer (or Fall) day...

The rain which nourishes the plants...

If I really start looking, there are so many little blessings in each day! One suggestion that I heard from someone was to start a gratitude journal and record the blessings that God places in your path, both large and small, and then to keep that as a reminder of how blessed we truly are.

Now here's the hard part for me. When things don't go the way that I planned, sometimes it's easy to forget that God has a purpose in it. It's easy to be thankful and praise God when life is "easy" and things are going according to plan, but what about when hopes are shattered or everything seems to be turned upside-down? Can we lift our hands in praise amidst the storm? In our walks with the Lord it's important to learn to praise and thank Him not only when things are going "our way", but also when things are hard. We have to remember that He is in control over everything, and that He will use it for His glory. It's often the storms that God uses to draw us closer to Himself, so let's praise and thank Him even if the rain is falling.

Whether the sun is shining or the road is difficult, let's seek to live life with an attitude of gratitude, thanking the Lord for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all of those little blessings that He gives us.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 107:1 

Keep your helmet on

You know, life with horses can be quite the adventure. During the past 4 years of owning Flash I've learned so many things! There have been many opportunities to learn more about horses in general, but I've also found that owning a horse can teach you a lot of life lessons. Who's better at teaching you patience, perseverance, and endurance than an ornery pony???

There is one riding "rule" that I try to be very strict about obeying - always wear a helmet. No matter what horse I'm riding or where I'm riding, I always wear a helmet because accidents happen. Yes, they can be uncomfortable or get hot in the summer, but if something would ever happen it could save your life. Flash has never tried to hurt me, and I don't think she ever would, but that doesn't mean that accidents won't happen.

A week or two ago I was out riding Flash through the field, and I asked her to canter. She took off much faster than I was hoping, and I had a little bit of trouble controlling her. As I was working on slowing her down she stepped in a hole and stumbled, throwing me off the front. Praise the Lord that both of us were fine and I came away with nothing more than a few bruises and mild whiplash. It could have been so much worse, especially if I hadn't been wearing a helmet.

The reason I write this isn't just to tell you to "always wear a helmet when you ride", but to remind you of something much more important than wearing your helmet. Our trust in the Lord, in some ways, can be compared to a helmet. When we put on a helmet we are not promised a perfect ride with no accidents...but we are going to be protected if we fall. In the same way, when we put our trust in God we are not promised a perfect life free of trials and persecution, but we do have the hope of eternal life and the peace that comes from knowing that everything is in God's hands. If we fall off of our horse, we aren't going to take off our helmet, throw it on the ground and blame it for the accident...if anything it will make us more thankful for the helmet knowing that it may have just saved our life. When trials of this life come we shouldn't "take off" our faith in God and blame Him for our problems, but let those things draw us nearer to our Savior, knowing that He cares for us and wants what is best for our lives.
 

(this is no one in particular, just a cute little girl that was at the barrel show that I went to today)

So my dear friends....keep your helmet on....especially when the road gets bumpy.

Enjoy the ride :)

One of those days...

Today was one of those days.

One of those days that starts off well.

One of those days that you get almost everything done on your checklist.

One of those days that seems to be going well.

At about 5:30 this evening Sarah and I went out to the round pen to work with her pony. The riding went fairly well, and I was pleased with how it ended up. I had my camera along, so we decided to take off Misty's tack and let her graze in the round pen while we went and got some pictures. When we came back to get Misty I was able to get her lead rope on with little trouble, and took her out of the round pen so that we could tack her up and get back to the barn. Misty decided that she didn't want Sarah to put the saddle on, and she started to dance around. I was holding her, so I handed her to Sarah so that I could try to get it on. Misty decided that this was the opportune time to head back to the barn, and she took off at full speed before either Sarah or I could catch up with her. It's about a quarter of a mile walk (or shall I say run...) back to the barn, but thankfully it wasn't hard to find her as she went straight to Flash. Let's just say I was not very happy with a certain little pony...

After that little incident I realized that the tack was still out at the round pen. I decided to drive the truck out, as that would be a lot quicker...right? What I didn't realize is that long, slightly damp grass does not mix well with a rear-wheel drive pickup. Yep...I got it stuck out by the round pen. By that point I was fried. I was frustrated. I was ready to give up. Time for another 1/4 mile walk back to the house to get my dad. I started praying that the Lord would show me what He was trying to teach me through this :)

By now it was 8:30, chores weren't done, I hadn't eaten supper yet, and I was tired. I was unloading the tack from the truck, still slightly frustrated at the events that had taken place, and it suddenly hit me.  If these little things were the only "trials" of my day...I am blessed. Those things were so minor compared to the things that so many people around the world go through every day.

I have a roof over my head.
I have religious freedom.
I don't have to worry where my next meal will come from.
I have wonderful family and friends.

God has blessed me in more ways that I can count, and He continually provides for my needs. These little things that came up today were so minor.

So the next time I have "one of those days", I must remind myself that the things that get on my nerves are sometimes the things that God uses to show me just how blessed I am.

Misty...our sweet and adorable (and ornery and mischievous) pony

Running the race of life

There's one thing that I don't really like about blogging. A blank page. Some days I have tons of ideas for posts, and other days...I can't think of anything. As hard as I try, nothing comes to mind. And since this is one of the "I can't really think of anything" days, I'm just going to share with you some little things that have been on my mind recently.

Life is like a race. A long, hard race that takes a lot of endurance and perseverance in order to run it well. There's school to do, places to be, friends to meet, chores to do, deadlines to be met, and the list goes on. It can get tiring after awhile. But there is so much more to life than our personal agenda and schedule. God wants us to put Him as the central focus our our life. In Hebrews 12:2 it says:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

{Hebrews 12:2}

So often I loose sight of that goal and get distracted by the things of this world. It's so easy to do! Countless times I have messed up, become distracted, and failed to keep my eyes on Christ. I'm so thankful that I have a merciful and loving God who is always there, no matter how many times I may fail.

If Christ truly is the goal of our life, then we have something to live for! God has made us for a purpose, and He wants us to run the race in such a way that others will see a difference in the way we are living. The world is screaming at us to "blend in" and "go with the flow", but God is looking for those who are willing to stand out. We are called to be different. We are to run the race of life knowing that we were made for something so much more...we were made to bring glory to the King of kings.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 

{1 Corinthians 9:24}

When preparing for a race, each runner's method of training or their personal style may be different from others, but all of the athletes are going for the same goal...to finish well. As Christians, each of us are different in many ways but our goal should still be the same. To bring glory to the Lord and live our lives fully for Him.

I want to point out that this is not something we can do on our own. Only through Christ can we keep pressing on towards our goal. Through Him we can persevere. Keep your eyes fixed on Him!

When we reach the end of life, I hope that we will be able to say with confidence:

 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 

{2 Timothy 4:7}

Stepping out of my own little world

I'm sure that most of you heard about it.

A couple days ago an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and the people living there lost so much.

Homes. 

Family members.

Possessions.

Businesses.

Electricity. 

Their way of life.

As of right now, all we can do is pray for the people of Japan. Pray that God would use this disaster to bring many people to Himself, that families would be re-united, and that He would provide for all of their needs.

This earthquake has been a reminder to me that there are people all over the world that are hurting. I would love to go on a missions trip sometime, as I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to share the love of God with others who may have never heard. But for now, God has placed me where He wants me to be. There are people right here in my own community who need the Lord, so why not start there?

God has been challenging me to start going beyond my own little world. It is so easy to get wrapped up in everything that's going on in my life that I forget that there is a hurting world all around me. People who just want someone to show them that they care. People that need the Lord. 

So whenever I think about Japan, I'm not only going to use that as a time to pray for the people there, but also ask the Lord to open my eyes to the needs of people that He places in my path from day to day and I would be willing to share the love of Christ with them.

  

- "My Own Little World"  by Matthew West -

In my own little world it hardly ever rains
I've never gone hungry, always felt safe
I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet
In my own little world, population: me

I try to stay awake during Sunday morning church
I throw a twenty in the plate but I never give 'til it hurts
And I turn off the news when I don't like what I see
Yeah, it's easy to do when it's population: me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world

Stopped at a red light looked out my window
I saw a cardboard sign said, "help this homeless widow"
And just above that sign was the face of a human
I thought to myself, God, what have I been doing?
So I rolled down the window and I looked her in the eye
Oh, how many times have I just passed her by?
I gave her some money than I drove on through
And my own little world reached population: two

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
I could be living right now
Outside my own little world
My own little world

Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours
Give me open hands and open doors
Put Your light in my eyes and let me see
That my own little world is not about me

What if there's a bigger picture?
What if I'm missing out?
What if there's a greater purpose?
That I could be living right now
I don't want to miss what matters
I wanna be reaching out
Show me the greater purpose
So I can start living right now

Outside my own little world
My own little world
My own little world

We as Christians have the love of Christ in our hearts, so why not share that love with a hurting world?

 

(All photos in this post are from various sources, found using Google Images)

Living in a whirlwind

I'm sorry for being absent for the past week. It was mainly due to my busy schedule...and also not knowing what to post about. I would post about farm life...but nothing worth posting has been going on. I would post about my latest photography adventures...but I do that all too often. So, that leaves me with daily life. Where do I start?? I honestly feel like I'm living in a whirlwind because the days fly by faster than seems possible.

I've been doing a lot of hippology stuff lately, as the contest is the end of March. If any of you are wondering what the contest includes, there is a written test, slide show with things we need to identify, tack identification, and stations (10 pictures on poster board, a word bank, and two minutes to match up the words with the pictures). The contest covers anything and everything horse related...colors, breeds, gaits, tack id, genetics (it's not as hard as I thought it would be), events, and any other horse related topic they can think of. It's a lot of fun, but there is so much to study!

I've also been trying to keep on top of school, babysitting, and farm stuff. Then you mix in all of the other things that come up...

As I try to keep up with the whirlwind of activity, I sometimes need to remind myself to slow down and not trade in the good things for the best things. I'm sure that all of you can relate. There get to be times in our life where we get so caught up in our day to day activities that we forget what really matters. Each and every one of us was made for a purpose...and that purpose is first and foremost to glorify the Lord.

Now I'm not saying that we need to drop all activities, but just to be mindful that our purpose in life is to glorify God, and a part of that is seeking to grow in Him and spend time with Him. I know that I struggle with this all too often. There have been times when I get so caught up in what I feel needs to be done, that the most important things, such as spending time with the Lord, get put on the "I'll do it later" list. Why is this? As I was thinking about it, I think that part of it may be this. Satan knows that one youth on fire for the Lord could change the world. Mary the mother of Jesus did. She was just your normal girl, but gave God all she had and because of it she changed history. He knows that we have that same potential, but if we fill our lives with "good" things there is more of a chance that we'll neglect the best things. I once heard the word "busy" used as an acronym...

Being
Under
Satan's
Yoke

Ouch. I know that it doesn't apply to all circumstances, but it still gives you something to think about. So when you notice that your schedule's filling up, make sure that the most important things do happen. And when I say most important things, I'm not meaning school and all of that other "important" stuff, I mean spiritual life. Time with the Lord. I find that when I make that my top priority, and really dig into the Word instead of rushing it, it's always so refreshing. God wants us to grow in Him. He wants to spend time with us. He wants us to learn from and live by His Word. So instead of getting caught up in a whirlwind, why not take a while to slow down a bit and focus on the things that really matter?

________________________________________

I just realized that I never posted the photo for weeks 6 and 7 of the 52 photo challenge. I just downloaded all of the photos that were on my camera onto the computer, so I'll try to post those soon. Also, starting in a week or two I'm thinking of trying to add an "extra" challenge to the 52 challenge, so be looking for an upcoming post about that!

The Never Ending Hurdles

Do you ever feel like life is a long line of never ending hurdles? You make it over one, only to find that another is right in front of you and you aren't sure if you have the strength to clear it. When you look behind you, you can see no beginning, and as far ahead as you can see, they seem to have no end.

Well, I have found this to be so true in my life lately. I feel like I have so many deadlines and so many things to do, but as soon as I accomplish one I don't feel relieved because I know that another deadline that must be met is waiting for me just around the corner. And because it seems like so much is going on at the same time, I feel that I put just enough effort into each job to get me by, because I need to get onto the next one. Oh, the joys of growing up.

As I was laying in bed last night thinking about it, I also got thinking about how we have a God who is bigger than anything. He's bigger than our hopes, our fears, our failures...our life. We are human. As we run this race of life, as we try to clear all the hurdles, there are going to be times that we fail. We'll fall down and don't feel like we have the strength to keep going. But we need to remember that God our Father is always right there beside us, cheering us on when we are doing our best and giving the glory to Him, drying our tears and picking us back up when we fall down. No matter what life may bring, He'll always be there.

I can almost hear Him saying, "Rebekah, why are you worrying and fretting about life? You don't know what the future will bring, so why worry about it? Just put your faith and trust completely in me because I'll give you the strength to make it through whatever you have to face. You are human and there are times that you'll fall. There are times that you'll feel like you have failed. But just remember that I'm always right there beside you, ready to pick you up and dry your tears. Keep your eyes fixed on me, give me your best, and don't care what others think. I have an amazing and wonderful plan just for you and I love you so much."

So next time that you are overwhelmed at all that's going on, take a moment to remember your ultimate goal in life...to live for the Lord. He never promises that life will be easy, but He does promise that He will never leave us or forsake us and that He will give us the strength we need.