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There are days when we have so many questions about what God has allowed in our lives.

So, go ahead and ask them!

God's big enough to allow you to question Him. He is not afraid of your doubts.

He knows that we will suffer in this life, and wants us to cry out to Him as our Father:

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:15-18

There is a time and place when we will know the answers to all the "whys" of this life. In that day, the glory we have gained by these sufferings will be revealed.

I know that doesn't help our pain today, but it is a truth to hold on to when nothing else makes sense.

"There is a peace that cometh after sorrow,
Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;
A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow,
But calmly on a tempest stilled.

"A peace that lives not now in joy's excesses,
Nor in the happy life of love secure;
But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,
Of conflicts won while learning to endure.

"A peace there is, in sacrifice secluded,
A life subdued, from will and passion free;
'Tis not the peace that over Eden brooded,
But that which triumphed in Gethsemane."
(excerpt Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman)

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luke 22:41-42

Find hope in the peace that comes from a life surrendered to the will of God – just like Jesus.

Do you long to sleep peacefully at night?

Do you toss and turn with the thoughts that spin around in your head?

Do you wake up often during the night, due to dreams and nightmares?

Sleep – especially deep, restorative sleep – is a precious commodity. It seems to elude those that need it the most:

• For those with chronic pain, deep sleep would give time for restoration of their body, yet the pain keeps them awake.
• For those with heartache and troubles, sleep would be a welcomed escape, but their tortured minds will not allow sleep to come.

Songs have been written about long nights, the promise of the dawn, the assurance of God's presence in the trials.

I find Scripture to give the most practical comments about sleep:

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:1-8

If you follow the Psalmist's logic in this chapter, there is no reason for us to be anxious about sleep. God is the only one Who can give us rest.

If we are rest-less, there is a reason. I encourage you to do as a sweet friend of mine suggested to me: "make friends with the night."

When you cannot sleep, find something else to occupy your mind and heart.

• Read a book,
• read your Bible,
• work on a craft,
• pray for a person for each letter of the alphabet, (I especially love this idea, as I'm hoping you'll think to pray for me with the letter "A"!!!)
• quote Scripture that you have memorized,
• write a note or an email to someone else who needs encouragement,
• study a passage of Scripture,
• catch up on your housework or laundry,
• watch a favorite movie,
• call a friend who lives in another time zone,
• listen to an encouraging sermon online or on CD,
• start a thankfulness journal.

The list is endless, really. (I would, however, discourage you from watching the news or other television shows that are not Christ-honoring, as they will have the opposite effect of calm and peacefulness.)

There is no need to lay staring at the ceiling on those nights when sleep eludes you, and you don't have to curse the clock because it is moving so slowly.

Find hope in the fact that while others around you are sleeping, the Lord has a plan for you to do something else. Ask the Lord what He would have you do during this time.

Consider it a privilege that He wants your attention for Himself.

It's difficult to start a new week after a holiday, isn't it? It's hard to get back into the swing of things after having a few days off to celebrate and relax.

I had every intention of putting up a post yesterday, but…well, I didn't back into my regular schedule either!

I guess that's one of the reasons it's so important to make good habits that encourage our inner man.

While it's true that our spiritual "activities" can sometimes become routine and dull and lifeless, it is also true that those spiritual habits can be the tool God uses to keep us on track.

It is not always easy to attend church. However, when we keep that habit in place, we find ourselves attending when we are not our most "spiritually minded".

There we find

• the truth that we need to hear,
• the reminders of all the Lord has done for us,
• fellowship to feed our soul and
• music to sooth our frazzled minds.

It's a good "habit".

Another important practice to keep in our schedules is to read God's Word. Things will happen to interrupt our regularly scheduled reading times; but we must be adamant in finding that time at another place in our routine.

If we miss a day in God's Word, it is not good; but if we find ourselves skipping many days without meditating on the Scriptures, we are starving ourselves spiritually.

This "habit" must be one that we work to keep in its place.

Another routine that we must cultivate is to have a thankful spirit.

• Did you spend extra time last week counting your blessings?
• Did you find that it helped your mindset?
• Were you quicker to find the positive side of things because of your attitude of gratitude?

This week have you continued that spirit of thankfulness? We need to focus on thanking God for the situations in our life every day.

It keeps us focused on the fact that God has a plan for us, and is in control of our lives on a daily basis. I don't know about you, but that helps me even in the hardest times.

Thankfulness is a "habit" to practice all year round.

As we get back into the routine of our lives, especially as we look forward to a season of busyness as we prepare for Christmas, be sure to make time for the "habits" that will keep you balanced, sane and a pleasure to be around.

1. Read the Bible daily.
2. Attend church whenever physically possible.
3. Practice an attitude of thankfulness every day.

These "habits" will ground our lives spiritually, and that gives us a solid foundation for the mundane as well.

Find hope today in the same old routine! Just be sure it includes these important "habits".

If you make a list of all the things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, check your list with a critical eye.

Are all of the things on your list good things? Are the blessings you're counting all positive, happy circumstances?

If so, consider the following:

Can we thank God for the bad things, the hurtful circumstances, the painful past, the less-than-perfect surroundings?

Have you stopped to thank God for

• the car that sometimes won't start,
• the child that is breaking your heart with their disobedience, or
• the job that fills you daily with despair?

This is the real test of our thankful spirit.

Very often, in the Scripture, God calls our thanksgiving a sacrifice.

And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psalm 107:22

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:17

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.
Leviticus 22:29

It may sometimes cause you pain to be thankful to the Lord; but your gratefulness shows your submission to the Lord.

Let's face it. God doesn't need to hear your thanksgiving to know if your heart is humbled to His will. He knows what is in our hearts already, quite often before we even recognize it ourselves.

We offer our thanksgiving to God, even in the midst of pain, so that others can see how great we believe our God is. They need to know that even in crisis, we can trust our God to do what is best for us.

The world wants to know if our Christianity still works when our life seems to be crumbling around us; because if it works then, it really works!

Let me encourage you, then, to take one small step toward sincere Thanksgiving this holiday.

Choose one thing in your life that make you unhappy, one situation that causes you true pain, and give God praise for it.

I believe you will be amazed at how your heart will find peacefulness and satisfaction in the midst of the trial when you are filled with praise for the goodness of your God!

(I would love to hear your testimony of how this truth worked in your life. Please share a comment with us about your sacrifice of thanksgiving.)

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
Psalm 115:4-8

There are so many merits to having a thankful attitude.

Even those in the medical field are extolling the virtues of having a grateful, positive outlook on life. They say positive people are healthier, live longer, heal faster and have more meaningful relationships.

It's true. When we can look at the circumstances around us, and be thankful for them, it does give us a peacefulness in our spirits.

I wonder, though, how long those in the world can continue to be thankful, when it is so unclear to Whom or to what they are thankful.

For us to have an attitude of thanksgiving, we must acknowledge that some thing or some One is in charge. The things that have happened in our lives have fallen to us due to the will of some One greater than ourselves.

I fear that so many are casting their thankfulness to

• "karma",
• the "forces" of the universe,
• the "powers that be",
• the cosmos, or
• whatever is "out there".

They don't want to make the "gods" angry; so they build yet another altar to the "Unknown God."

Just like those in Paul's day, folks are just trying to appease someone, trying to feel thankful to someone, because they knows it makes them feel better.

It really isn't the attitude of thankfulness or the acknowledging of a higher power that lowers the blood pressure or lifts the spirit.

It is the truth that resonates in our souls that we are not in charge, that there is a God who has set it all into motion and Who maintains the universe around us.

When we realize that the One true God is all powerful, all knowing, eternal, and everywhere present, we can relinquish our control. We can stop trying to make our life what we wish it to be.

We can be thankful to God for all of it, because we know:

• that an all-wise, all-loving Creator God has our life planned out exactly as He wants it to be;
• that everything that happens, happens for a reason;
• that all the trials are working out God's perfect will in us; and
• that every circumstance is molding us to be more Christ-like.

We can believe that even the heartaches and pain are shaping us into His image.

When we believe that, we can be truly thankful…

To God.

The world misses that. They may try the "gratitude attitude", but it will fall short. It will not satisfy their soul. When hard times come, they will be angry and bitter toward a universe that has dumped misery on them in spite of their thankfulness to it.

…and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Daniel 5:23b

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let's be sure to give honor to Whom honor is due. The God Who has our breath in His hands, and Who upholds all our ways is worthy to be glorified by our attitudes of gratefulness.

When our spirit of thankfulness grows, our hope grows. Our future is secure because our God is a good God!