Thankful Thursday ;) (68)

Happy Thursday, friends and fam!!

Today, I am thankful for God's compassion, and that He is "the God of all comfort." What a fantastic phrase that is to describe Him, and so true. That and "the God of hope" are my favorites. :) Hmm, and "Wonderful Counselor." lol  I guess they're all amazing qualities when you need them most!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." 
~2 Cor. 1:3-5

I've been so tenderhearted the last couple weeks, feeling right on the verge of tears and crying a few times through each day. But I feel like my joy is rising back to the surface the last couple days, and that feels awesome and refreshing! 

I am also very thankful today for the two Kristins in my life - lol - for my cousin, Kristin, and my long-time friend, K-Foster... both of whom have helped me to feel understood (really big for me) and strengthened lately! The words can be the same, but there's a huge difference in people who say kind things out of superior pity or in an attempt to 'fix me' and people who say them because they genuinely believe I have more inner strength and value than I sometimes realize, and the Kristins both fall in the second category! :) (As do many of my other friends - they just happen to be the most recent examples in my mind.)  And for that, I am thankful!!

Jon and Kristin had me over for dinner on Tuesday, and by the time I left, I felt like a different and much stronger person than when I arrived. It's sooo good to surround myself with people who really see my heart and know my strengths and build me up, speaking words that sow seeds of life that are straight from God!! I am thankful for it, and I want to be that type of person for others as well! We need God's Word and Christian friends to remind us who we are, that our lives have great value and we are FAR MORE than the mess Satan tries to convince us we are when we're struggling!!

Finally, I'm thankful that Kristin shared this verse with me and encouraged me to keep walking in integrity and to seriously pray for God to act as a shield in my life, guarding my heart and my close relationships from the attacks of the enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy everything that I hold dear. So I am absolutely praying for that and believing God for healthy relationships!

Super random ending, but I just love Jim and Pam!!  The Office went downhill at a staggering pace, so I missed this episode when it originally aired, but I really love this part. Despite the poor video quality :( it's hard to watch without tearing up. Or maybe that's just the lingering tenderheartedness? It's absolutely the best hug ever - I love it. Yay, fighting for love in marriage!!!