Thankful Thursday

It's been quite awhile since I have participated in Thankful Thursday but my heart is overflowing this week and I wanted to share it with you.

I am going to keep it to 3 things that I am thankful for this week, even though, I could list so many more.

God's Protection:
If you read my post from yesterday and saw the pictures, you will know immediately what I am talking about. If not, click HERE to read.

God's protection is something that I never want to take fore granted because without it...so many ugly things would happen to us. There are so many things that "could have" happened to us and it wasn't chance or luck that prevented them from happening...it was God's hand of protection on you or your family. At times, I wish I could see what God has spared us from but at the same time...I really don't want to know all the evil that the enemy has intended to harm or kill my family.

Isaiah 52:12
But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Psalm 145:20
The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

God's Provision:
It is amazing to me how you can go from being excited, ecstatic and happy to down, defeated and angry...all over MONEY! I don't know about you but I can. When things happen that "rock" my world, my first tendency is to fret, worry or get upset. Tuesday night was not different.

When Roger changed jobs last year, we knew that our health insurance was going to be very expensive at his new job. The same policy with the same insurance company was going to go from $300. a month to $800. a month. I was sick to think we had to pay that much for health insurance and I tried to find other affordable coverage. We found several companies that would insure us individually rather than under a group policy but with Roger's high blood pressure and cholesterol...it would be pre-existing or excluded from our coverage all together.

I have worked in the medical field for 25+ years and I know that if he were to go to the hospital for any reason, they (insurance co.) could "relate" his health issues to his blood pressure and refuse to pay. So...we didn't have a choice except to go with the insurance offered through his job.

The job offered so many more benefits and they all out weighed the expense of the insurance. He works for wonderful godly, Christian employers, who aren't afraid to stand up, speak out and serve God openly in their work place. What a refreshing environment for my husband to work in everyday. Plus, it is 4 miles from home, he can come home for lunch and never has to cross the Mississippi River bridge to go to work anymore! That is a benefit, in itself.

Well, Tuesday night, I was working on paying bills, making out the deposit for his paycheck from the Friday before and I noticed it was short. I got out the previous pay stub and noticed the insurance had gone up another $20.79 per week. Making our insurance $895.00 per month. I was upset, called Roger at the police department and quite frankly....I was MAD!

What makes it even worse is...you are really stuck and don't have another choice except to pay for it. I certainly don't want to be uninsured.

Needless, to say...it ruined my great mood that I was in. I just went to bed...feeling sorry for myself and grumbling.

I woke up Wednesday morning and began to remember the first few chapters that I read in my new book that Laurie gave me last Friday...the same day the paycheck was shortened. It is called A Journey into Prayer.

Pray without ceasing - I Thess. 5:17, First Priority: Prayer - Eph. 6:18 and In All Things Give Thanks - Psalm 103:2-5.

I chose to start my day out giving thanks for my husband's job, that we can afford to pay for health insurance (maybe, hard but we can) and for God's provision. My heart wasn't joyous all day but it was a choice not a feeling.

I posted several statuses on Facebook starting Tuesday night and into Wednesday...so, I had several friends praying for us as well.

God is so good! Out of the clear blue, yesterday afternoon at 4:43 PM, I received a text message from my bosses wife...stating she was giving me a raise.

Guess what? It is double the amount that we will be losing with Roger's insurance going up! PTL!!! God is so faithful and He is so good! Why do I ever doubt Him?

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Generosity:
I am so thankful for the generosity of a bloggy friend that I have never meet in real life but through IM (instant messaging) on Monday...she was helping me with redesigning my blog layout...the subject of vacation came up. I told her that we were coming to Florida, she asked to what part, I told her and she asked if I would be willing to come a little further into Florida.

She offered to let us stay in their cottage for nothing, if we choose to drive the extra distance to the beach this summer. We have been longing to take Tyler back to that area of Florida. We haven't been there since he was 4 years old and he doesn't remember it. We normally used our timeshare but you almost can get a place on the beach anymore. So, it didn't look like we would get back there before he graduates in 3 short years. We are planning a trip up the east coast and out west over the next 3 years. We decided to just go to the panhandle of Florida this year. We would be able to say..."we went to the beach and had a great time."

She has never met me or my family but yet, she offered her cottage to us for vacation. If we can work it out...what a blessing that will be. We will get to return to our favorite area of Florida, meet my precious, generous bloggy sister, see all the sites that Tyler doesn't remember, make wonderful memories for our family and hopefully, meet a couple of more bloggy sisters if we go to Orlando for the day.

Thank you so much, my sweet friend for such a generous offer! You will never know who much that has meant to our family. My God richly bless you and your family.

Proverb 22:9
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Psalm 37:26
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

God continues to richly bless my family and I am so thankful today for His protection, His provision and the generosity of a friend!

For more wonderful and truly thankful hearts...visit our host, Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!