Why You Should Be Thankful for the Bad Things

It's that time of year, friends! The time for everyone to share what they are thankful for, and a time for everyone to try just a little bit harder to be nice. People who are typically brusk and temperamental can even be found making the tinsiest bit more effort. Maybe it's the weather, or the excuse for cozy blankets. Maybe it's the copious amounts and turkey and pie that they anxiously await, but whatever it is, it helps.

I am definitely a fan of the human race being kinder and more festive. Believe me- this time of year lifts my spirits just as much as the next gal. But I have to wonder: in all our giving thanks, do we ever give thanks for the things in our lives that are difficult? Are we ever thankful for our physical ailment or our emotional trauma? Do we thank God for our car accident or for that time we were embarrassed in front of our friends?

Why I Start Celebrating Christmas Before Thanksgiving (and a FREE playlist)

It was 79 degrees outside and the leaves were all still bright green. Most people were in shorts and flip-flops- myself included. But it was October and I was craving the cold. I was craving warm sweaters, crunchy leaves, chilly evenings, and soup. Lots and lots of soup.

I also had a great desire for something to lift my spirits, brighten my day, and make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. And that's when I knew- it was time to crank up my A/C, wrap up in my snuggie, and play all my favorite Christmas tunes.

But every year when I start to feel that ache, I always know that people will act as if I had just murdered someone for listening to "Winter Wonderland" or "Mary Did You Know" before Black Friday. You'd think I had just told them I had kidnapped someone's child or something.

But there are two main reasons why I celebrate Christmas early, and I'd love to get the chance to explain myself. 😉

An Attitude of Praise and Thankfulness (A Guest Post)

The following is a guest post by Kristie Hillway of IntoHimSee. You can check out her blog here, and I would highly recommend you follow her on Instagram. Her account is one of my favorites, and that is actually where she and I started getting to know each other. If you are looking for a super-encouraging-Christian-cool-kid to follow on Instagram, Kristie is your girl!

You know when things just aren’t going your way and it frustrates you?
Work messed up your pay and your behind on your bills,
Your husband/wife didn’t do the favour you asked,

Your kids aren’t listening and are driving you up the wall,

You lost your job,

You’re going through a break up,
Your car broke down and you now you’re stuck…
These are all things that can cause us stress.

Praising God and thanking Him when things are difficult is hard for us. For some reason we like feeling sorry for ourselves and we allow our circumstances to rule us.
Last week I had a number of things happen that really stressed me out and upset me. I allowed myself to marinate in that frustration and I developed a stinker of an attitude!

My boyfriend and I were driving home the other night after a meeting at his church and as I sat there, leaking my horrible attitude. He stopped and asked me what I was thankful for. Then he asked me what my favourite parts about God are and then He got me to pray and praise God and tell Him what I think of Him. At the start I struggled, but after naming a few things I was thankful for and talking about what I love about God, something shifted. Joy entered in.

When I looked beyond what I was feeling and made a decision to thank God and praise Him, it allowed room for the Holy Spirit to raise me up.

“When you complain, you remain. When you praise you are raised.” -Joyce Meyer

If we choose to just sit in our problems and complain about our life, God cannot move within us because we are standing in the way. And how can you see the good that God is doing in your life if you’re just focusing on what is wrong with your life?
Complaining will stunt your growth.
But when you praise God, He raises you up! You might still be in a frustrating situation, but taking your eyes off that and putting them on God, who is so good, gives Him the space to work within you and it releases such joy!

The atmosphere in the car that night shifted as soon as I started praising Him. Suddenly I was not speaking out negative things and complaining, I was full of joy and thankfulness!
My situation has not changed, but my attitude certainly did! And as soon as I was able to stand and praise God and thank Him continually, He lifted me out of that situation.

Praising will raise you. Complaining will hold you down.

In a world that is constantly changing, it is so important that we hold tight to our God is unchanging- the same yesterday, today and forever. And He is so, so good and so wonderful.
He is worthy of our praise. And an attitude of thankfulness will take you far in the Kingdom.

Happy Thanksgiving From The Peculiar Treasure!

Happy Thanksgiving, you wonderful people! I know you are ready for your turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce- and I don't blame you. But before you shut you laptop and head for the table, I wanted to encourage us all to truly live a full life of thanksgiving, not just this one day a year.

Earlier this week, I was reading She Reads Truth. The series was about giving thanks to God, and the particular post was about God winning the victory (read it here).The text for the post was Psalm 98.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,

    for he has done marvelous things!

His right hand and his holy arm

    have worked salvation for him.

 The Lord has made known his salvation;

    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness

    to the house of Israel.

 All the ends of the earth have seen

    the salvation of our God.

 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

    with the lyre and the sound of melody!

 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

    the world and those who dwell in it!

 Let the rivers clap their hands;

    let the hills sing for joy together

 before the Lord, for he comes

    to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,

    and the peoples with equity.

When I read those verses and then started thinking about the study questions, I realized something: these people are joyous about the victory God has given and they truly know the way to share it with the world. That is why they are singing. And though I don't need to carry a harp around everywhere I go (thank God!), I do need to show my thanks to God outwardly.

What good is it to have victory, if no one can see the joy in my life? If we walk around depressed, angry, anxious, or fill-in-the-blank, we are not portraying any sort of victory to the world. In fact, we are making the great hope of Jesus into something that is less than desirable. I'm not declaring that we should be fake or pretend we have no problems. Rather, I am declaring that despite our struggles, we choose joy and we live it out. 

So on this Thanksgiving- better yet, every single day- give thanks to the Lord for His victory by living a joyful, thankful life. Show the world what we have through the praise of our lips and the joy in our actions.

Give thanks to the Lord. His love endures forever!

Mug-spiration Monday *Vol. 20*

*Warning- you may need lot's of coffee to make it through this post. Go get some before you regret it!

Last week was a doozy! I couldn't go to Facebook without seeing posts-galore about France, how terrible Obama is, the Syrian refugees and how Christians should only have one view of that situation. I know they are all very important issues, but with all the noise, sometimes it's a little hard to think clearly.

I'd like to say three things and then move on to coffee and happy thoughts:

1.) There is more than one way to think Christianly about the refugee situation. I highly recommend this blog post by Kevin DeYoung.

2.) No matter how much you (and me) dislike our president, the Bible is clear that we are to treat our leaders lovingly and pray for them. Meme's and posts that are rude and hateful about the president are in blatant opposition to what scripture says. I don't trust him either guys, but for all your "standing up for Christian principles for the country" you forgot that God says to love
E V E R Y O N E. That includes our president. Stop blasting profanities and saying we are all doomed and it's Obama's fault. God allowed him to be in office. God has a plan. And yes, God is in control- not the president. Does your hope rest in God, or in what a president does or does not do? Am I scared of what our leadership may mess up? Yes, but I know God is bigger than anything they may do.

3.) Facebook is not a news reel. Speak your mind, but also remember that your life's existence is not to convince everyone on Facebook (or Twitter, or Instagram) that you are right and they are wrong. Let's engage each other cordially and not assume the worst about each other. And let's try to spread some positivity too. As huge as these issues are, they don't have to be all we talk about. That's what newspapers and news channels are for.

Whew! Now that I've gotten that out of my system, can we move on please? Thank you.

Week in Retrospect

Baby E turned 1 this past week!
I have been with baby girl's family since the beginning of September. I like them a lot and enjoy being a part of their lives. This past week, Evelyn had her first birthday. I cannot believe how time flies. I can already tell how she has advanced since I first started. She is such a sweet girl!

My blog is getting there!
Last week, I added a new affiliate program, I set up my first ad package with Passion Fruit Ads, and my page views more than doubled. I don't know why exactly, though I did join a couple new blogging groups.
If you are looking for an inexpensive way to promote your blog, check out my ad packages. I would love to be a part of your process!


Coming Soon

Thanksgiving!
I cannot believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday! How crazy is that?! I am excited to see my husband's side of the family. It will be so nice to have that time with them- and lots of yummy food is an added bonus! Woot woot!

Etsy Shop.
My Etsy shop is up and running, and I am hoping to add some more items to it within the next week. Check it out here.


Be Encouraged
I know it's Monday again, and I know that Mondays are even harder when there are so many unknowns in the world right now, but remember the bigger picture. If you know Jesus, you can trust that all will work out. It may be terrifying, it may (will) be difficult, and you may have to force yourself to keep going, but all will be ok. We have hope. We have all we need.
And if you don't know Jesus, don't feel alienated. Don't feel like this post isn't for you. It absolutely is. You know why? Because Jesus is there. He loves you. Let Him in. He holds us lovingly. Call out in the midst of all this chaos and let Him be the driving force of your life. He offers hope, despite all the hopelessness.


Happy Monday, all! Let's keep going!

What Our Thanksgiving Traditions Are Missing

Thanksgiving is in only two weeks! Can you believe it?! I feel like we just started Fall, yet turkey day is upon us!

I really love all the holidays. Christmas is my favorite, but Thanksgiving is 2nd. I love the warmth of family (and not to mention cute sweaters that it's finally cool enough to wear), delicious food, and the food coma and rest that ensues after the feast.

When I set out to write this post, I was planning to write about what my family normally does, and how watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is an absolute must. But as I was typing, I realized something: some people don't get to celebrate this time of year. There are people with no family to love on, and people who spend their holidays out in the cold with no place to call home. Forget a fireplace and a giant feast- they'd just like a building with heat and something- anything- to eat.

I know a few people who spend part of their Thanksgiving serving food to the homeless. I think that is such a wonderful gift. I also started doing research and realized that most areas have some sort of "Thanksgiving box" donations. This is where you provide a Thanksgiving meal for a family. The box would include things like canned sweet potatoes (I'm from the South and refuse to say "yams", #southerngirl), canned green beans, canned pumpkin, boxed cake, dinner rolls, and a frozen turkey. After you assemble the box, you would drop it off at whatever center was doing the collection, and they would distribute it to families in need on a designated day.

I think this is such a great idea and opportunity. Even if I don't go serve food on Thanksgiving, I can still help by donating. I highly recommend that you search online for something like this in your area. I have all ideas that most cities have one.

I also think that Thanksgiving needs to actually be a time of thanks and giving to others. Whether you have kids, it's just you and your significant other, or you have a large family, figure out ways that the focus can stay on the right things.

Maybe you could have your kids make cards for someone you know in the nursing home and you could drop them off on your way to your own dinner.
Or maybe you and your husband could show up early and help cook dinner.
You could even make little cards for your family that say why you are thankful for them. It doesn't take extravagance to show love and appreciation. Thanks can be given in even the tiniest of ways.

So while I definitely plan to enjoy my holiday traditions with my family, and while I feel no guilt about eating plenty of yummy things, I do want to do a much better job of giving thanks and showing it outside of my own little, selfish, bubble. I would encourage you to do the same.


What are your holiday traditions, and what can you do to start incorporating the true meaning of Thanksgiving into those traditions?

Blame

"I only yelled at you because you were being rude."

"I only talked about you behind your back because you talked about me first."

"You were supposed to help me become a better person. If you had helped me more, I would have made way more progress."

"You are supposed to keep me accountable for reading my Bible. It's your fault I haven't spent more time with God."

It's a lot easier to blame another person for our failures than it is to admit that we have failed, isn't it?

The list above is just random, and not all of them are necessarily pertinent to my life, but the one I'm really bad about is the last one. I am terrible about not reading my Bible. I don't pick it up and read it. But if Taylor doesn't ask me if I have read my Bible, I get mad at him and say he isn't keeping me accountable. Sure, I love when he remembers to ask me about it. Yes, I think that is important. But to blame him when I am the only one that is responsible for spending time with the Lord, is ridiculous. I know that deep down, but I find myself constantly repeating this attitude- but there is no excuse.

When I mess up, it is not someone else's fault. When you mess up, it's not because of someone else. We are responsible for every move we make, every thought we think, and every word that comes out of our mouths. Can other people influence those things? Can the devil himself influence those things? Yes! Absolutely. But when it is all said and done, only I give account for my actions. Only I can decide to do the right thing- or the wrong thing.

A popular pastor was recently found out to be having an affair. And he only had an affair after catching his wife having an affair. I have no idea what has happened with this situation. I have no idea if this pastor blames his wife or not- but if he does, he is wrong.

Cheating is an awful thing. I feel terrible for him and the hurt he suffered when he found his wife cheating on him. But one person's sin does not give us the right to go out and sin too. Regardless of what anyone else does or says, we are responsible for our own actions. We have no right to blame anyone else.

So what do you blame others for?
Do you blame others for your anger? Your selfishness? Your infidelity? Your half-truths? Whatever it is, start admitting that it's your fault. It's not your husband's fault, not your mom's fault, not your teacher's fault, and not your boss' fault. It's yours. It's mine. It's ours- only ours.

We must get rid of this desire to place our failures on the shoulders of others. We have to own up to our messes. We have to repent of our sins. And we have to be willing to say " I messed up, but God's grace is enough".

You see, when we blame others for our mistakes, we are doing what Adam did in the garden of Eden. Blame is not new.

And when we blame people, we are doing it out of fear- fear that we aren't good enough, fear that we've disappointed, and fear of rejection. But as Christians, there's no need for that. There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). There's not even a reason to cast blame anymore, because we have long-since been forgiven. We have no shame...so why are we still trying to out-run it?

Stop running.

Accept the blame where blame is due.

And then let it go.

It's not anyone else's fault but yours... but it is also long-gone.

Accept your mistakes and accept Christ's all-encompassing forgiveness.

Practical Ways to Love Your Spouse

Life isn't always exciting. There isn't always something fun happening, and life isn't always sweet and romantic. So in these moments- the droll, uneventful moments- how to we show our other half that we are still head-over-heels for them?

Before my husband and I got married, we dated for four years. There were no secrets. I knew before we got married what his quirks were, what made him mad, and what he did that drove me crazy. And he knew the same about me. This meant that there weren't any unpleasant surprises. He knew that I over-analyzed everything, and I knew that his rants could last a lifetime.

And even though we saw each others imperfections, we knew that we loved each other deeply enough to remain faithful, even when the little quirks turned into big nuisances, and the twitter-pated hearts calmed down a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my husband deeply, and I love to flirt with him and goof off with him. But chances are, everyday life is not going to be filled with butterflies, breathless moments, and candlelit meals. Actually, it's much more likely that it will be filled with morning breath, towels on the floor, and farts that stay pungent for longer than humanly imaginable ;)

So how, even then, when we are tired, grumpy, and plugging in the air freshener, do we show our spouses the deep love they deserve?

Practical Ways to Show Love to Your Spouse

1.) Laugh with them

My guess is, your spouse wants nothing more than to make you happy- to see you smile. And the thing is, we can get so bogged down with what our spouse didn't get right, that we lose our ability to smile and laugh. When spouses laugh together, there is something healing and therapeutic about it. It delights from the inside out and is a great reminder of the joy you share with your spouse. 

And maybe some of you haven't been able to laugh together lately. If that is you, sit down and have a conversation to figure out what is going on.

But even in those times, you can still laugh together. Put on your favorite comedian or funny movie, or go hang out with that friend that always makes you both laugh. Just make a conscious effort to do something fun.

2.) Surprise them with a date-night

I've mentioned before, that one of the things my husband and I love to do is take our mattress into the living room and watch movies until we fall asleep. I enjoy it very much, but my husband loves it. So one time, I set up the mattress in the living room and picked out a few movies before he got home. It made him feel loved and special.

Some people may not enjoy that at all, but we do. Whatever it is that makes your spouse happy and that you can both enjoy, set it up and surprise him. Maybe he loves having a nice dinner cooked for him, or maybe he loves it when you two play soccer together. Organizing something fun that your spouse enjoys is sure to make them feel loved, especially when they see that thought has been put into.

3.) Remind them of their good qualities

My love language is words of affirmation. Sometimes to a fault. But my husband is not that way. He typically doesn't need that much affirmation, so sometimes I forget to watch for when he does need it. 

Regardless of your spouse's love language, and regardless of how much they do or don't communicate, everyone needs to be reminded of their good qualities talents, and what makes them so darn lovable!

My husband, for example, is ridiculously smart, but I often forget that he doesn't always feel smart. And on days when he has a paper or presentation coming up, he's often more nervous about it than he lets on. So on these days, I try to tell him how proud of him I am, how smart he is, and that I know he will do well.

And for people who haven't been feeling very doting on their spouse lately?
Remember why you married them. Regardless of how they made you feel when they forgot to do the dishes, they are still that wonderful person you fell in love with. They are still smart, funny, talented, and kind. And they are still the love of your life!

When you love your spouse, it should never be based on their actions. They (and we) are flawed human beings. They will make mistakes, they won't always be fun and romantic, and they are never going to be the perfect person. That's why the "honeymoon" phase dies down, and "real life" rears its head. But that's ok. Whether today was hard, easy, boring, or more eventful than you bargained for, you still have the ability to go home and let your spouse know that they are deeply loved. And that you will love them on their good days and bad days- on their super-sweet days, and on their super-obnoxious days. 

They need to know that you will always be there, and that you are still madly, incandescently in love with them. And yes, you are absolutely capable of showing them that love!

How do you show your spouse you love them? Are there any special dates you like to have?

Comment below.

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Mug-spiration Monday *Vol 2*

It's Monday again. It's time for a fresh start- fun projects, new ideas and a positive outlook- no matter what your week may hold. That's what Mondays are for; not this hum-drum, tail-between-our-legs attitude that we usually have about Mondays. Nope. That's not allowed anymore!

How was your week? If the weather is anything in your area like it is in mine, you are roasting. I'm talkin' sweat-dripping, clothes-soaked, roasting! And unfortunately, it's been rainy almost everyday when I've gotten off of work, so I haven't been to the pool in a while. My white self could really use some sun ;)

Despite my unfortunate lack of pool water and over-abundance of sweat, I am excited for a new week! I am thankful for what it holds, and I am ready for our trip to Charlotte to look at Taylor's seminary and search for houses. I am thankful that Taylor and I get to share our life in the smallest and largest ways, and I am thankful for a family (biological and by marriage) who loves us and cares for us. We are blessed.

I am thankful for those things every day, but since Mondays are for fresh starts, why not think of all the things we are thankful for? It couldn't hurt, right?

Need a little boost? Not feeling the Monday excitement? Try counting your blessings. Try thanking God. And check out my Monday inspirations below. I sincerely hope they will motivate you.

Mug-spiration Monday Inspiration

*Spiritual Inspiration- I stumbled upon this on Pinterest on Saturday. 

*Work Inspiration- This post by Coffee with Summer is great for any blogger.

*Health Inspiration- Yummy, simple, quick, low-cal lunch. Woot-woot!

*Creative Inspiration- The Nectar Collective always has great tips!


What is inspiring you today? What can you do to make Monday less "blah" and more, well, inspirational?

If you are inspired by this post, get on Instagram or Twitter and share how you are making your Monday work to your advantage. Use the hashtag #mugspirationmonday.

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A Fresh Start