Have You Been Blessed?

"Give thanks, with a grateful heart.
 Give thanks, to the holy One.
 Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.
 And now, let the weak say, 'I am strong',
 Let the poor say, 'I am rich',
 Because of what the Lord has done for us....."  - Don Moen

Here we are in autumn!

This is totally my favorite time of year, in no small part because whenever I think about autumn, I number of really inspirational songs come to mind. Inspirational in a spiritual sense, yes, but also in an artistic sense. There are songs that reverberate in my head, making me feel energized and wanting to create. Giving me ideas for scrapbook layouts I want to do, scrapbook designs I want to create, pictures I want to take, and things swirling around in my head I want to get down. I cannot think of a better way to incorporate all these inspirations than through scrapbooking. It's such a fantastic medium for combining your photos, your memories, the use of color and graphics in a way that is meaningful and do-able for average people.

Have you ever thought about dichotomous autumn is? I revel in how God, in a time of dying, creates the most incredible fireworks show there is. There is nothing that can compare to it. The sights, smells, sounds of autumn make my soul come alive! But what’s coolest is that all this is happening because, basically, nature is “dying” in preparation for winter. How amazing that God shows us the most beauty within the context of death, huh?

 Of course, November is also the time of year where we, as Americans, focus on giving thanks. I don’t know about you, but I spend WAY too much time during the year focusing on the things that are annoying me or causing me trouble and not nearly enough time focusing on my  blessings. But, if I’m being honest, my blessings pile is much, much taller than my non-blessing pile. I just gotta think about it more. The hymn “Count Your Blessings” always comes to mind during November. Check out a little bit of this one:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

I know it might seem a bit cheesy and certainly the language is ponderous, but the message still comes through. It’s amazing what can happen to our spirit when we spend time really thinking about what’s good in our lives rather than what’s wrong. Remembering that, in the midst of troubles and strife and disappointment, God is still sitting on His throne. God is in control and His plans are perfect.

Anyway. How does all this relate to scrapbooking, Christy? Great question. I wanted to get you all really thinking about this time of year and what it means to you. How it inspires you, how it motivates you, how you celebrate it. If you focus on it a bit and let your heart, mind and soul really stew over it, I think you'll find that there is a lot to memorialize this month. Yes, there are the beautiful fall pictures and Thanksgiving celebrations and, of course, the FOOD; but there's also more meaningful stuff. Have you ever thought about doing a layout about what you are thankful for? Look back over the year and think about how you've been blessed. What has God brought you through this year? How has He truly shown you that He is who He is? These are amazing, important things that will mean the world to you and future generations to look back upon.

"But how do I do a layout about something like that?" you might ask. If you're a very traditional scrapper who takes pictures and scraps events, this idea might seem above & beyond to you. It's so very, very not. Let me give you some ideas. First, when you're thinking about the answers to the above questions - what you want to talk about - maybe jot down an idea or two of something that could represent it. Like a picture of a gorgeous autumn tree or the Bible or butterflies - whatever it is. Then all you need to do is go to Google and search for that thing. Click on "Images" and pages and pages of pictures will come up that you can right-click on, save to your hard drive and either print out to use on your 3D page or just use in your digital page. The point isn't to have the perfect picture - it's to use images to create a mood for your page. The point is the story - your thoughts & feelings and God's movement in your life - and however you choose to show that artistically is up to you.

Can I challenge you to do this sometime this month? I really think that it will bless you immensely. Focusing on your thankfulness in the context of God's blessings will, obviously, bless you but also getting it down for you and others to see will be a second blessing. And, as we all know, God certainly deserves our thanks and some time focused on how good He is, right?