Walking in the Light of the Lord and Our Thanksgiving

I woke up to a quiet house. A few pies covered in tin foil on the counter, the dishwasher waiting for me to unload Thanksgiving. The floor was cleaned last night (If I have anything, I must have a clean floor). There are cloth napkins waiting to head to the laundry. A few things still here and there to put back, but that is always the way with a holiday in our home. And I love that. The after holiday. How well my home holds it. I love this home. 

And I love the way my heart holds it. Another memory tucked away forever. 

I woke up thinking about motherhood. And in my own personal quiet time this morning with my bible open and my notebook and pen I found a few verses that spoke right to my heart. I've been studying what it means to love the Word of God. 

Isaiah 2:5 says "O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord." 

I believe that the written Word of God is the formal decree of the Lord, our king. When we declare God's Word out of our mouths, with hearts full of faith, those faith-filled words go forth to establish God's order in our lives. When the royal decree is pronounced, things begin to change!

There are so many things in my life that need constant tweaking, a constant visit of priorities. A renewed look at my schedule - how I order my days. A change in attitude - am I being grateful enough for the small blessings in the big messes? A change in the tone of my voice, the way I am with my daughters... there is always change that needs to happen especially if I am committed to growth as a Christ follower. 

I want more light in my home. More love. More of Christ through me. And I know the only way that can happen is in having regular quiet time with God. 

My bible practically opens up without looking (because it practically lives on this page) to one of my favorite verses that I memorized years ago...

Isaiah 30:15 "For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning to me and resting in Me you shall be saved; in quietness and in trusting confidence shall be your strength."

When I return to God He saves me. I need to be in that quiet place day after day. It it then that I am saved from sin, from messed up priorities, from so many things. 

And my strength? It comes from quietness and in trusting. That too I can only get from prayer and reading His Word. 

I am so happy that I have a few extra days at home this holiday weekend. A few more days to sit and ponder the words He gives me. I am so looking forward to a fruitful advent. It is so needed for my heart this year more than ever. 

Here are a few pictures of our Thanksgiving Day. It was just the four of us around the table. But outside where we could be in fresh air and safety apart we visited with family and pie, and hot drinks. My girls helped me make each individual drink and serve it outside. Abigail even made a menu of desserts and drinks. So fun! 

I love the sky and view from our dining room table. The sky so beautiful like a painting from God for us to look at as we sat down.

And this one of our dining room - water glasses filled, candles lit, all is ready... and even if you peek in the kitchen you can see the turkey on the white platter just before it was carved. 

Anna lit the candles on the table for me as I was getting everything ready to go. 

Moments before we sat down I put the camera on the tripod and gathered this sweet family of mine for a quick picture to mark the occasion of Thanksgiving. Oh how I love them so much! 

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Our view... love the wreaths across the street. 

We cleaned up as quickly as we could because family came over to visit outside after dinner. To be safe this year, we all sat in a huge circle around the firepit. 

Abigail made a menu with drink options and all of the desserts. Anna and I wore masks and prepared all of the drinks and cut pies. It was so much fun! 

I had the porch decorated with as much holiday twinkle as I could to make it feel welcoming and festive as we were outside. 

We sure missed family around the dinner table this year but we were grateful in our hearts.