BLESSED...

 The title of this blog post will pretty much give you a good idea of what this post is going to be about.  I am just going to get right into it and start off by saying this....... YOU ARE BLESSED!!!!  WE ARE BLESSED!!!!

I was reminded tonight as I was tossing and turning in bed that I needed to have alone time with God and have a deep talk with him.  The Holy Spirit reminded me how blessed I truly am, and how much I miss out on because I forget to see the small things in life.  We need to truly grasp the concept in our minds that we are only promised one day at a time.  Each morning that we open up our eyes and take a breathe out of our nostrils, that we can only take that day into account.  We cannot worry about the next day or the day after.  We just need to focus on what that day!  We need to remind ourselves all of the little things that we can sometimes find ourselves complaining about.  I remember a long time ago before I had kids, I used to have a car that had no air conditioning.  I used to complain about how hot it was and how annoying it was.  I finally learned to be thankful in that area and realize how blessed I was that I had a working vehicle.  What happens with us is that we become spoiled, and we focus on what we don't have, instead of what we do have.  This is a tough mindset to break, but when you are able to "think things on purpose" then breaking that mindset can begin.

I have found myself recently riding these waves of emotions.  At times I am so overwhelmed that I feel like I could break at any moment, and at other times I am fine.  I have had to do alot of soul searching and have scheduled "alone" time with myself.  Being a full time stay at home mother is difficult when you try to find "alone" time, but I am blessed because my Husband makes sure I am able to go off alone, and spend some time alone with myself.

An important life principle to grasp is that: we are here for Gods purpose, and we are here to serve others.  We are NOT here for ourselves!!!  So many people spend time focusing on themselves and make it all about themselves, and miss out blessing after blessing along the way.  The tricky thing to keep in mind is that we need to first be ok with ourselves BEFORE we start serving others.  If we are not good for ourselves, then we will be no help to others.  If you find yourself struggling at the moment then go through this quick  checklist and hopefully this will help you get started!

1)  Did I have scheduled time with God today?

2)  Have I written out a list of blessings (so when I get down I can remind myself) ?

3)  Am I thinking before I speak out loud?

4)  Do I find myself speaking Life or Death?

5)  Am I complaining?

6)  Do I thank God DAILY for everything?

7)  Am I looking each day to bless someone or focusing on myself?

8)  Do I read the Bible?

9)  Do I put Gods Word above my own?

10) What is the state of my heart?

This little checklist will help you look at yourself and see how you can get started to focusing on one day at a time, and realizing how blessed you truly are.  If you still do not know what to thank God for, let me help get you started :)

- Running Water (There are people in other countries that have to walk MILES a day for just one bucket of clean water.  They use this water for drinking and for bathing)
- Electricity
- Food
- Shelter
- Job
- Health
- Salvation
- Clothes
- Medicine
- The Bible
- Family
- Vehicle

I want you to lift your head up and realize how blessed you truly are!!!!  I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit got a hold of me tonight and put this message on my heart!!  WE ARE BLESSED!!