thankful on a thursday

I feel exposed, and I don't like it. There used to be walls I could hide behind when life got hard or I didn't want to engage. I look around, searching for my self-built fortress, and all I find is the remainder of soggy cardboard boxes painted to look like stone. Its temporary and ineffective nature exposed, I find myself out in the open, standing on a rocky outcrop, staring out at the slate gray sea and stormy skies. Seeking protection from the impending storm, I look around amidst the soggy cardboard to find I'm standing inside the foundation of what will become something more, something stronger. A lasting fortress, not meant to keep people out, built to protect from the storms of this life.

1. In my emptiness, He comes in and fills me up.
2. Blue sky and sunshine in the exact spot I stood waiting for the bus this morning.
3. Early morning adventures full of grace and never-ending love.
4. The way praising Him always turns my heart around, reorienting me toward His Goodness.
5. The understanding that resurrection means NEW LIFE.
6. A weekend away with high school students, living, loving, playing and learning more about Jesus.
7. The smell of coffee early in the morning.
8. Living in Truth is better than hiding behind lies.
9. A weekend with my cousinsisterbestfriend in her new home.
10. The sound of the wind outside my window.
11. My story is not finished.