"The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God,
who has led us through all, and preserved us until now.
Our griefs cannot mar the melody of our praise,
we reckon them to be the bass part of our life's song,
'He hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad'"
"What the world needs from you is your indomitable joy in the midst of suffering and sorrow"
(John Piper, "Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing" sermon).
Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness in things hard and happy,
for wise, challenging words,
for progress and pain both in my shoulder healing,
for a clean house without my labor,
for a meal and a lovely visit from my Bible study leader,
for hearing the word "benign" from my dermatologist's nurse on the phone,
for strength to drive myself to my first two appointments this week,
for husband strong and healthy enough to commute by bicycle twice this week,
for freezer meals to heat and eat,
for week 2 of the Siesta Summer Bible Study underway,
for the blessing of faithful custodians of my stories, especially the messy ones,
for leaders brave enough to be vulnerable,
for a verbal job offer for a friend after months of waiting,
for Your glorious, wondrous work in a family's storm,
for the Thessalonians' resounding example through the centuries of "receiving the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6, ESV).
(2014 gratitude journal #1561-1575)
linking with Laura's Playdates community and Bonnie's Spiritual Whitespace pilgrims
