Thanks Always

Here are a couple of journal pages inspired by what has been very much on my heart at the moment - the importance of keeping a grateful heart no matter what is going on in our lives.  Sometimes it can feel like a hard thing to do if times are tough but that is when it is most important.   I can always find lots of things to be thankful for - my family, home, church, friends, flowers, sunshine.....  but  now I'm trying to get in the habit of being thankful especially when things are difficult.  In the bible it says that we are to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18), that means that no matter what is happening we need to be grateful.  How can we do that in the face of really horrible circumstances?  We can do that because the bible also says:

We know that in everything God works for good 

with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

Rom 8: 28 

When we thank God in the face of adversity we are trusting Him and it increases our faith.

 This started off on one of the pages in my art journal where I had scraped off leftover paint and I used it to try out my new stamps.  I stamped with abandon and had fun!

I stamped and painted in these wonderful PaperArtsy flowers which I won in a giveaway:

For my next page I wanted to play with my new stencils which I got for my birthday:

I found this new Balzer stencil when I popped into That's Crafty, a craft shop which I usually buy from on line.  We were on our way to visit and were going past their door so I persuaded hubby to stop and get me my birthday prezzie!  It was an Aladdin's cave!  Yes, you can see everything on line but its not the same as physically being in the shop.  Hubby's promised we can go again for my Christmas prezzie! I stencilled the numbers too, to put a bit of white in the backround but also to indicate lots of times for thanking :)

Love this PaperArtsy stencil too:

Gorgeous with my home made texture paste:

So I put being-grateful-when-you-don't-feel-like-it into practice yesterday.  I had my new oven delivered this week having been without one for a few months.  Its an integrated oven to replace the original one which was in a custom built unit so the unit had to be built up again.  We are not DIY people, we are GSI people, not Do-It-Yourself but Get-Someone-In :) so I had paid for the delivery people to install it.  When they came they wouldn't fit it because they said an electrician had to do it.  GRRRRR is how I felt.  But they left and I said, No, give thanks.  Thank you, Lord, I said, that I can now get an electrician to do a proper fitting and make it good.  I rang an electrician who came 15 minutes! later and fitted the oven.  And he is also going to build the unit round it whereas I was going to have to find yet another workman to fit it.

A bit of a silly example really, but it works in the big things too.  God loves us and He loves and wants us to trust Him.  He wants what's best for us and He will bring things to good.

I'm linking up at:

Art Journal Every Day 

Create With Joy Friendship Friday
Country View Challenges Numbers challenge