Thankful Thursday: Trials

Today for Thankful Thursday we're over at Grace Alone with Iris. The theme is trials. Are you thankful for trials? We all face trials. It doesn't matter who you are or where you are in life. We each have our own sets of trials. I see some of the trials people I know are going through and am amazed at their strength and determination in the midst of such hardship. There is a man at our church who has many physical difficulties and limitations, yet he is at services every chance he gets, and he also volunteers at the food pantry. He makes jokes and makes everyone laugh when he's there. He doesn't focus on his trials, he is a source of encouragement for many.

Thinking about trials tonight I realized that your trials aren't the same as mine. We each face different trials, but for each one, God has a purpose. As Christians we have to realize this. There is a point for the trials you are facing. It's hard to see in the middle of the trial, but they are all part of God's plan. Remember that!

I'm thankful that God uses various trials to bring us closer to Him, to teach us lessons we wouldn't learn otherwise, and to bring glory to Him.

This week I'm thankful for...
~ my cute husband. He did well on his speech he did on Wednesday in Dallas. He had to fill in for his boss at the last minute and did great. (And he looks really cute all dressed up in his suit!!)


~ my sweet boy. He was so excited this week to go back to school Tuesday night for a family fun night they had with pizza for supper and little games and activities for us to do. His excitement made my teacher heart happy!

~ reading all the thankful posts in November. I've seen many different posts of thankful challenges for the month of November. It is encouraging to read these.

~ money for groceries. When I go to the store and come home with the food,I'm thankful to be able to put food in our pantry and freezer.

~ being able to be a stay-at-home Mom. This is something I'm continually thankful for and I am continually reminded of the blessing this is for me and our family.

I hope you'll stop for a minute today to give thanks. Even in the trials...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance...." James 1:2, 3 NIV

Have a day of blessings!