A holy habit, #44

Last night my Monday Night Bible Study started the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow.

Oh geeze.  It's good.

I had started it sometime back but for some reason I didn't finish it. Now that I pick it up again, it's like it's the perfect time for me to do this study with my group and grow with them. Everything has it's reason and it's season.

Anyway, since I have been trying to learn my intentional thanks prompted by Ann Vosberg's book One Thousand Gifts, what we studied last night fit right in with this new intentional habit of thankfulness. And that is the holy habit of contentment. They go hand in hand but do take some practice an much daily surrender.

Surrender, full and complete, is something God is teaching me still. It's been the theme of my last two weeks (also, my entire life!) in many ways. I even sang a song about it at church, and the words resonate..

All to Jesus, I surrender;

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,

I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;

Humbly at His feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken;

Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus, I surrender;

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;

Let me feel the Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus, I surrender;

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power;

Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender;

Now I feel the sacred flame.

O the joy of full salvation!

Glory, glory, to His Name!

So this week (also, the rest of my life) I am working on being thankful by full surrender and contentment NO MATTER the circumstance. Not just singing about it. Not just teaching about it. But doing it with the leading and strength of the Holy Spirit. It's not going to be easy but it will get easier with practice.

This list was given in our book that I thought was a fabulous set of standards to live a life of full of thankfulness, contentment and surrender.

It's called "Ella Spees' Holy Habit of Contentment"

v  Never allow yourself to complain about anything-even the weather.

v  Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

v  Never compare you lot with another's.

v  Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

v  Never dwell on tomorrow-remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours.

#44 I have more content days than not lately. That's an accomplishment and an awesome work of God. And I am thankful to be learning it still.