Thankful Thursday

In spirit of the upcoming holiday...

I am thankful to live in America.

And, for those of you who listen to me complain about it all the time...

I know. Really, I know.

However, although I am constantly frustrated with everything going on here...

There is so much to be thankful for!

Therefore, this "Thankful Thursday" will be about the good that I so often overlook. :)

I am thankful that in America I have the freedom of religion.

I have the freedom to publicly profess my faith in Jesus Christ.

I have the freedom to gather with other Christians weekly.

I have the freedom to own a Bible and read it wherever I want, whenever I want to.

I am thankful that in America I have freedom of speech.

I have the right to disagree with what's going on...

And those who know me know I frequently exercise my right to share when I do. ;)

I am thankful that I have the right to vote for this country's leadership.

Even if my guy doesn't always win...

I am thankful that this country creates equal opportunity for it's citizens to succeed.

No, we haven't perfected it... But yes, we have come a long way.

As a woman, I am thankful that in America I am respected and shown equality to men.

Please note: I am not a crazy woman supremacist. :) I know I can't do everything a man can do lol.

I am thankful that in America I had/have the opportunity to go to school.

Yes, even though I hate school.

I really am thankful for my education.

The list really goes on and on...

I have so many freedoms in American that I take for granted everyday.

But, more importantly,

I am forever thankful to those who have fought to gain my freedom in the past and who are fighting to protect it now.

To anyone who has served this country, in any way, 

THANK YOU for your service!

What are you thankful for today?

I'm loving...

Strawberry Poptarts :)

'Till The World Ends' by Britney Spears :)

Menchies :)

YouTube Sensation Christina Grimmie :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/zeldaxlove64 

silver lining.

Embrace your trials and hardships.

No, I'm not kidding.

"Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world.

No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering,

and no one gets through life problem free.

Life is a series of problems.

Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take it's place.

Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God's growth process for you."

-Rick Warren

God uses problems to draw us closer to Him.

The darkest times of my life are when I feel Him the most.

Suffering brings you to the feet of Jesus, and there is no greater place to be!

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit"   Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

Look for the good in every situation, and remember...

God knows what He is doing!!! 

And, believe it or not, He will never give you more than you can handle.

"...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that 

suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character;

and character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts."

Romans 5:4-5 (NIV)

Things don't always go as we plan them to.

In fact, they almost never do.

We can't see the big picture, only God can.

Draw close to Him in times of trouble.

Remember His promises, they never fail!!!

"What if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life, are Your mercies in disguise?"

Let's talk about how amazing my God is <3

Expression!

My facial expressions in photos never cease to make me ask: 

"What in the world was I doing??"

or

"Why is my mouth open??"

Here are just a FEW of such photos :)

Peer Pressure.

Here I am.

I've actually been here for a while.

It's not that I have anything spectacularly insightful to say, or anything like that.

Regardless, I'm giving this a shot. Let's see how this goes. :)