“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” ~Philippians 4:4

Or as the Message version says,

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! …Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers…”

In every situation, we can find reasons to complain — because, quite frankly, there are some really yucky things that happen in life. OR we can look for reasons to rejoice — because no matter what the situation, there is reason to rejoice because Christ is always with us! Rejoicing cultivates a heart of hope, and I believe gratitude is a way of rejoicing, so I keep counting…

1121 – a neighborhood pool to play in — and although we thought it would be closed most of the summer, it will only have to be closed for repairs for a couple of weeks

1122 – magnolia blossoms on my new little tree

1123 – fresh bell peppers as a yummy snack, and the promise of our own homegrown ones!

1124 – We are [mostly] done with our school year!

1125 – amazing things we’re learning about birds from the robins on our back porch

1126 – Kathryn and I got to hold a baby robin last week!

1127 – a nice rain, without any accompanying scary storms

1128 – Running into our former pastor (who married us) when we were out to eat — and learning that they’d read our featured adoption story because they receive Lifelines magazine since one of their children was adopted through Bethany 20-something years ago!

1129 – another good visit from my dad, complete with a bit of silliness

1130 – bittersweet moment: our baby robins flew the nest today!

Join more folks counting their multitude of gifts at A Holy Experience.

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »