“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” ~ James 1:2-3 (ESV)
Yup, you read correctly – thankful for trials. Let me explain before you think I fell of the rocker…
Usually on Sunday’s I start praying about Thankful Thursdays. For some reason my mind kept going back to trials/tribulations — not sure why. Maybe it is the book I am currently reading (Max Lucado’s “Fearless“)…
Anyway, on Monday morning when I got in the office I turned my calendar to November — guess what Scripture passage is on the bottom – you got it: James 1:2-3 (just a different translation of the Bible). Yes, I am thankful for trials/tribulations in my life. It puts the “ME” in perspective. I had my fair shares on trials; marriage, motherhood, family, friendships, work, you name it…
BUT what really makes these trials worth it and the part I am thankful for: GOD!!!! He is faithful, no matter what. He walked/s with me through the good and bad times. He is there when I am on the mountain top, or in the valley. No matter how low my spirit is, He knows how to get me back on track.
Writing these things brings me to a woman who I admire; Denise from Shortybears Place. If you know Denise, you know what I am talking about. If you don’t know her, it is time for you to take a look around her blog. No matter how bad Denise feels, she praises Him all.the.time!!!! Not only does Denise encourage others through her personal blog, but also encourages other Bloggers. Even when I take longer breaks than I attend to do, she always leaves me an encouraging comment when I do post. Denise, you are a precious sister and the biggest encourager in the Blogsphere – I love you, girl. May I always point to Him for strength – just like you do…
So, what are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us — leave you link to your Thankful Thursday post below…
Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: no matter how bad the day gets — count it all joy — He is there with you!!!!
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Hi Iris,
Excellent thoughts today and girl, you are so right…. Denise inspires me every…. single…. day with her faithfulness in the goodness of God.
Awesome. Happy TT. I love you my sister. Hugs.
i’ve read in the book i’m currently reading that where adversity strikes the hardest is where God is at work in your life. i never thought that it would be possible for me to thank God in spite of all the heartaches i’ve gone through, but i am truly grateful that He is at work in my life. it means that He hasn’t forgotten me yet. it’s not easy to praise God when you are in pain or your problems seem too big for you to handle and you don’t know what to do anymore… that’s the time that we should start praising God even more. when we do, it will serve as an avenue for God to bring us the answer. seems ironic, but that’s how it works. we should start thanking Him and praising Him even if we don’t see anything happening yet. it’s like calling the things that are not as if they were.
i know denise and i love her. she has inspired me in so many ways. i pray to God for healing in her body always.
iris, may God continuously bless and keep you. (((HUGS)))
Thank you for this wonderful topic for this week. You are right, Denise is such an encouragement.
Hope your day is blessed. Bethany
Sorry I linked on here twice. The first time I reloaded and it didn’t show up!
Amen! Thank God that He is with us through all the trials in our life. I am so thankful for Denise too. She is such an encourager. Thanks for sharing with us, Iris. Thanks for hosting TT. Take care and happy TT!
Thanks so much for hosting this month!
Amen….He is always faithful and always with us….
And Shortybears Place is always a blessing!
Perfect post and boy, you are so right about Denise. What a lovely and blessed woman she is 🙂
Blessings!
Lovely post. I’m so thankful He’s always with us. Thanks for hosting.
This post also reminds me of Romans 5:3-5, “Not only so, but 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 by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
I read Fearless and I agree about Denise :).
Iris, I’m learning to be thankful in the midst of the trials. However, it’s taken me quite some time to get to this place.
As far as Denise goes, I’m in full agreement with you. She is such an encourager and finds something kind to say each visit to Heart Choices …which is often. I am so thankful for Denise. And I’m thankful for you, Iris.
Love you,
Debbie
I just love when God puts things like that in my path. He just keeps putting the same thing in my way..I just keep tripping on it until I realize what it is He is trying to tell me.
I feel the same way about Denise. Her faith is inspiring.
Your words bless me beyond measure, so blessed to have you as a friend. I love you.
I enjoyed my visit Iris and your sharing on Trials. I do know Denise and you are so right in your beautiful description of her heart.
Love and blessings.
Trials bring out what we are full of, either resentment or refinement. My precious friend Denise is full of refinement. What a blessing to know her.
Thank you for providing a place for us to record the faithfulness of our Father in all things. And thank you for blessing Denise the way she always blesses us!
The Word says to \”give praise in ALL things\”. Do you know what \”ALL\” means in the greek? … it means ALL!!
Denise is a great example of the greek meaning of all … she is such an encourager despite her circumstances. I love that! Happy TT Iris!
Thank you so much for this post. I really needed to reflect on this topic.
Thank you for using sweet Denise as such an awesome example of faith today. After reading your post, I felt very selfish & ashamed.
I too am blessed by Denise and her incredible faith, encouragement and faith through trials.
He is oh so faithful! Amen to the count it all joy… no matter what – especially after what I fully realized last month – I’m facing it all with Him, not on my own! No matter what may come… Thank you for hosting us this month! It’s good to “see” you again, Iris! Blessings.
I am thankful for the trials, too! Without them, I’ll never be the person God intended me to be.
Happy Thankful Thursday, Iris!
Thank you for a wonderful post, it is a topic that touched me today! I have not been to Denise’s blog yet, but will be certain to check it out sinse it has so many wonderful comments!
First time here hope someone stop in for a cup of coffee.
Thank you, Iris! Trials come in different sizes, but no matter how big or small they are, He wants to prove or test us, but really for us to prove Him, faithful through them. There is nothing sweeter than the Lord’s presence in a trial. I appreciate your post and hosting this month!
Faithfully-yours, Wendy
Thanks so much for hosting this! You’ve got a new follower – I love your blog!
I’ cant believe my captcha is HOPE! I was going to share Romans 5:3-5:
but 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 by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
So yes, rejoice in your trials–God will use them to produce great things!
I’m thankful for grace
And for a wife that’s pregnant
At age 42 🙂
I know Denise, not IRL, but I think she has posted on EVERY single Thankful Thursday posting I’ve ever done. Such a sweet woman. Thanks for hosting Iris, and thanks for commenting Denise.
hi, happy Thankful Thursday! Thanks for the share.
Here’s mine: http://www.cacai-m-place.net/2009/11/my-thankful-thursday-1.html
I don’t know if my comment goes through. Am sorry if this is my second comment for this. By the way, this is my first entry for Thankful Thursday. I hope you welcome me warmly. 🙂
Have a happy Thankful Thursday! Thanks for the share.. hope you could visit mine. Have a good day!