Leah Stirewalt

I hope you had the opportunity to join me last week for my first ever Freedom Friday post. If not, you can click here and check it out! For the rest of you, welcome back!

Having gone through a life long roller coaster ride…having experienced extreme highs and what appeared (at times) to be bottomless lows…I can say with all honesty there are 3 verses in scripture that I’ve struggled consistently to obey.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Rejoice always (v. 16), pray without ceasing (v. 17), give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (v. 18).

Rejoice. Always?

How do I rejoice over the suicidal death of my husband?

How do I rejoice when my dear friend contracts breast cancer?

How do I rejoice upon learning that I tore the meniscus in my knee while simply playing Wii with my daughter and would require surgery?

Pray without ceasing.

How do I continually pray as I struggle to balance the checkbook for the first time after becoming a single mom?

How do I pray without ceasing when I’m so exhausted from the 16 hour work day I just completed and now have an 8-year-old asleep on my office floor that needs to be carried home and put to bed?

How do I offer up continuous prayers when God seems so far away or non-existent at times?

Give thanks in all circumstances.

How do I give thanks while burying my husband on Mother’s Day?

How do I give thanks that my parents divorced and I’m now being whisked away, as a teenager, from the only support “place” I’ve ever known?

How do I give thanks while tears pour down my face following another heartbreaking conversation with someone I dearly love?

Seriously? Is God really asking me to do these things? Rejoice – pray – give thanks?

In short, yes. But, before you exit this post, because you just can’t listen to one more person telling you that God expects you to live up to something so seemingly impossible…please hear me out. Believe me, I know what you might be thinking…I’ve thought it too. I understand how often you’ve tried to be the person that does all three of these things so beautifully and failed time and time again. Yep – me too! But, will you walk with me for just a couple more minutes as I briefly unpack this? Because, maybe…maybe just maybe…God wants to impart a new nugget to you from some old verses that you’ve read time and time again.

REJOICE – always. Too often, we confuse joy with happiness. I know I’ve been guilty of this time and again, however joy for the Christian is something that is not dependent on our circumstances (which change all the time) but IS dependent on the unchanging character of God. I have learned, first-hand, that it is possible to be joyful even while experiencing hardship and sorrow. How can I do that? By focusing on those promises of God that are unchanging and knowing that I can find all-sufficiency in Christ Jesus alone. I rejoice in the future promises of God – eternal life with Him. The life we live on this earth is so brief compared to eternity. That’s so hard to comprehend, but when I pause to actually try and do that…I am able to rejoice that my eternity is secure. The hardships, the trials, the sorrow I may experience during my time on earth are only temporary…my security in my salvation and eternal home is permanent. I can REJOICE over that! The always part of this verse appears to mean the continual practice of a joyful attitude and spirit. What steals that joy from us? Focusing on our circumstances rather than the God over our circumstances.

PRAY – without ceasing. I love how one commentator puts it, “In the Christian life the act of prayer is intermittent but the spirit of prayer should be incessant. It is not in the moving of the lips, but in the elevation of the heart to God…” I love that. It’s not the very act…God doesn’t expect us to walk around uttering prayers all day long. That would be impossible. How would we pray as we sleep? Rather, God wants our spirit to be constantly devoted to a heart of prayer…a desire to walk in sweet communion with Him. Prayer is a way to develop and maintain an intimate relationship with God.

GIVE THANKS – in all circumstances. Oh boy…this is the one that seems to trip people up the most. Give thanks IN all circumstances. It’s that two-letter word – IN – that we tend to gloss over. God is not asking us to give thanks FOR all circumstances. He is simply instructing us to practice a heart of gratitude towards Him for His continual grace, mercy, and loving-kindness. No matter what we are experiencing at the moment…God is still gracious, merciful, and loving. No matter how deep our pain…God never changes. No matter how often we turn our back on Him…He never leaves us. How can we not offer thanks for all that He’s done for us even in the midst of life’s hardships? Much like I shared last in last week’s Freedom Friday post…Paul & Silas were in prison and yet offered up praise & thanksgiving to God, which ultimately resulted in their freedom. Hmmm…could that be key to the “freedom” we might be looking for as well?

I’m certainly no theologian, and I’ve only begun to understand the full meaning of these short verses, but God is not asking us to do something that we’re incapable of doing, or He would have never asked us to begin with. He sees my heart…He knows if I’m truly joyful and if I’m trying to maintain that intimate relationship with Him via prayer. And…He certainly knows if I have a heart of gratitude.

Whew! I don’t know about you, but when I examined these verses a little further, I recognized an ability (only through Christ) to be able to actually put these things into practice. Will it take away my pain? Probably not. Will it diminish it? Perhaps. Will it draw me closer to Him? Most definitely!

Heavenly Father, Please help me to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances. Help me to be focused on You, the One I know but can’t physically see rather than on those things that I can see and yet do not understand. In Jesus’ precious name I ask and pray, Amen!

Happy Wednesday bloggy friends! We’re half-way through the week already! Woot! Welcome back to Whimsical Wednesday. Click here if you weren’t able to join me for WW last week to get a better idea of what today’s post are all about!

I’m a “list person”. I love to make lists…all kinds of lists…cleaning lists, project lists, blog idea lists, packing lists before trips, menu lists, and the list is endless (pun intended). I think, for me, the ability to cross items off the list is what feels so good about the list to begin with. That said, today is a Whimsical Wednesday list day!

I’m all about making goals, however I struggle to complete them. I guess you could analyze my goals and possibly see a trend that might make the goal completion a bit difficult, but at least I’m setting some…right? My husband and I recently just did two things this past weekend that have been on my “Bucket List” for quite awhile. They were not all that hard either, so it caused me to ponder why I had to wait 41 years to cross them off the list. Honestly…lack of planning, I think. Those brain cells of mine started churning again, and I thought…what do I want to do/accomplish by the end of 2013. What is my 2013 Bucket List? No – not those items that are on my overall bucket list – unless I intend to complete them this year. These are simply some things that I want (and intend) to complete THIS year…before 2013 is over!

With further ado…my 2013 Bucket List:

1. Develop and keep a consistent fitness schedule. I’m learning to incorporate exercise back into my life again, but in order for it to become a routine habit…I’ve got to build in consistency.

2. Complete our wedding scrapbook. Now that Joel and I have been married nearly 8 months, it’s time to start tackling our wedding scrapbook.

3. Catch up 2013 scrapbook. As a scrapbooking lover, I have endless projects I could be working on, but I’m also trying to keep up with our years – in pictures. I plan on 2013 being the first year that I actually keep up with as time goes on…therefore, I need to get it caught up (and stay there until the 2013 book is done).

4. Memorize 9 new scriptures. I used to do scripture memory routinely, especially along with Beth Moore’s Siesta Scripture Memory Team. But, I’ve gotten out of the habit of regular, intentional scripture memorization. So, beginning now, I’m choosing to memorize two scriptures/month. For me, the scriptures I’m selecting are those that I feel will help me in my weight loss journey. Infusing God’s Word into this is vital to ultimate success!

5. Write a book proposal. I’ve had a book (actually a couple) in my head for quite awhile, but I’ve never taken the time to flush it out on paper. I’m going to do that for 2013 – in the form of a formal book proposal. What happens after that is up to the Lord’s leading. 🙂

6. Bike the Virginia Creeper Trail. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a LONG time! Along with my husband, I plan to finally do it later this year!

7. Get at least 1 more newspaper for my collection. I have this little habit. Some might call it silly, but it’s quite fun for me. I collect newspapers from all the state capitals. Now, I don’t just call the newspaper office from each state’s capital and ask them to mail one to me. I have to actually go there to get it. That’s the fun part…the travel! I have quite a few already, and I intend to keep pursuing this little passion of mine until I have all 50! So, my goal is to get (at least) one more this year.

8. Make curtains for all my windows needing curtains. This one is self-explanatory. My windows need treatment…I would love to make them myself!

9. Have all my Christmas cards ready to mail by Thanksgiving (even if they don’t get mailed for a few weeks). I’m a Christmas card freak! I love to give them AND receive them. But, the joy of exchanging Christmas cards can get snuffed out if I procrastinate and wait until the last minute to send them out. This year, I plan to work ahead and have them ready by Thanksgiving. I can do it. I know I can…I know I can…I know I can.

10. Reach my goal weight! This is my biggest and loftiest goal/bucket list item for this year. But, it’s not impossible. I’ve already “crunched the numbers” and see how I can do…jut gonna take some hard work and LOTS of prayer!

I promise to come back at the end of the year to let you know how I did. Have you thought about doing a bucket list for the rest of this year? What do your goals look like?

Rejoice – Pray – Give Thanks (a Freedom Friday post)

2013 Bucket List (a Whimsical Wednesday post)