Thanksgiving.

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

Psalm 95:1-6

To say these last few months at Ekisa have been hard is the understatement of the year. Satan is attacking big time.

Honestly, some days just knock me flat on my knees. I internalize things, a bad habit. And slowly I am learning to lay everything down at the cross.

EVERYTHING.

And it is hard. My instinct is to carry the burdens for each of our children.

Carry their pain, their loss, their heartbreak.

And before I know it I am crippled by the weight: the pain and loss and heartbreak make my heart strain and knees go weak. And stupidly, over and over, I continue to carry this load until I can’t move another inch, and have to lay it at the cross of our Savior. Jesus died so we could live. Fully live. Lay down the hard, the loss, the pain, the ugly at the feet of the cross and choose JOY. He wants to carry us, and our burdens.

This Thanksgiving, instead of focusing on the hard…I am laying the hard at the feet of the cross.

And I am clinging to the joy that comes in thanksgiving....

Thankful for the joy that rain and mud can bring.

Thankful for watching old friends re-unite in a new home.

Thankful for Viola, our full time physical therapist.

Thankful for her heart and patience for each child

Thankful for a beautiful service, for two angels who left us too soon.

Thankful for Nam. She inspires me daily to choose joy.

Today I stand in awe of what He has done.

He is faithful.