Taking Pictures of Diapers

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4 KJV

Endless Photo Stream:

We live in a society that takes pictures ALL the time! We love to take pictures of the world around us, nature and all its beauty, our family/friends, ourselves "selfies", our possession/treasures... and even food! We may even try and organize these photos onto our laptops. HA! I began to realize that taking pictures could be used for something more lasting and more rewarding!

Photo Albums:

My photos are organized first by year. 2008, 2009, 2010... etc. Secondly, I have a folder for events throughout each year. I also have a folder for each daughter, sometimes even by months. I have a generic folder for all Iphone photos as a initial "catch-all".

A Special Folder:

When I was pregnant with my first daughter (2011), I noticed that God kept using people around me to provide for our needs. They were physical and tangible items, like boxes of diapers, bags of baby girl clothes or my maternity wear. I wanted to remember each gift God gave us. "Count your blessings, name them one by one." 

Given to us from a church friend, unexpected and just what we needed.

Bags... And BAGS of baby girl clothes purchased by my parents.

Blessings:

So I created the "Blessings" album. It would be used to remember all the small and big gifts that God gave our family. It would be used to show my girls how MUCH God loved them before they were born and how He provided for their individual needs! This album was my stone altar that the Joshua and the tribes built after God divided the waters of the Jordan for them to cross over. (Joshua 5:5-18) The stones would be their memorial and reminder, just as these albums would be for my family. 

In the folder, I would put not only those "BIG" gifts but also little insignificant gifts. I would even put food/drink gifts!

Received in mail after my second girl was born.

Had a rough day and my husband bought these to encourage me.

The Result:

This has changed the way I see things given to my family. I thank the giver and appreciate their gift more. I see that God is the ultimate benefactor (James 1:17) and it makes me praise Him more. I trust Him to continue to be our great provider and caring Heavenly Father. I anticipate new "blessings" that I will add along the way. I pray harder and more specifically, knowing that He is listening and providing. I smile more and worry less. I am more grateful and more content with all I have. 

Find a way to capture "God's blessings" in a way to works for you! :)

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, 

and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: 

they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: 

if I would declare and speak of them, 

they are more than can be numbered. 

Psalm 40:5

A Faithful Runner

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24

The Runner:

Let's pretend that you are a runner in a marathon. What is the most important thing about your race? It's not the beginning or the middle. It's not about the trials/challenges along the way. It's not about how fast you are. It's that you finished and end well. (Ecc. 7:8)

Well, this is also what is MOST important in a Christian life. When you become a Christian, you begin your race in the Christian life. 

Watch Out:

Sometimes, this world distracts us and tempts us with desires. Sometimes, we get tired and want to quit. (2 Thes. 3:13) Sometimes, we feel like we've done our time and we don't need to strive like we did before. Truth is, GOD tells us to strive to win the "CROWN". Press onward and upward! It means that we work harder until the end. We need to strive to be better runners today then yesterday. We need to stay focused on Jesus, the author and FINISHER of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) It's important that we finish well!

Be Faithful:

It's easy to think we've done our time. It's easy to believe that we aren't important anymore. It's easy to say someone else can do a better job. It's easy to fall into Satan's lies about us, our talents and abilities. BUT.... it's wrong and it's not TRUE. We have talents/special abilities that GOD wants to manifest (magnify) and use for His glory. 

If you are living today, you have WORK to do for the Saviour. You are an important part of His church body. You are vital and others are looking up to you! More importantly, God call us to stay faithful to the end! "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:21, 23 

We need to keep doing the things GOD has called us to do. We need to stay steadfast in our work. Are you a business worker? Work hard/Keep at it! Are you a mother? Be a godly one! Teach them the Bible! Are you a teacher or preacher? Stay faithful! Seek God's wisdom! Are you a grandma? Pray for your kids/grandkids! Serve in a ministry! Wherever you are at, whatever you do... don't give up and don't quit. Remember it's not how we start.... or even run....

It's how you finish and end. Press on for the heavenly crown!

The Grand Prize: 

Look toward Heaven, the eternal home. The rest/relaxation. The beauty of being in God's presence. The streets of gold. No tears/no sorrow. The reward for our hard labor. The crown. The GRAND PRIZE. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ.