A Magnolia's Heart Beats

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."~ 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV emphasis Iris')

This week Iris has focused on being thankful for relationships. I had the opportunity to focus on some relationships in my life this week, particularly the one with my earthly father. Lately, I've been trying to love as Jesus loved, seeing people as Jesus sees them and it's very hard to do when it comes Da Chief, as I affectionately call my daddy. I realized this morning that he does not hold my past against me. Just as my Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally, so does my dad. My earthly father may have been a lot of things, but he was LOVE. And he still loves.

Oh, God, let me be the same way! Take away the issues of the past and erase them completely and totally from my memory. Replace aggravation and irritation and confoundedness with pure, unadulterated love! Whatever part of my heart is still bitter, melt it into putty and help me love my father COMPLETELY. Remove the fear, the anxities, the anger and hurt and replace it with a love that forgives as You forgive.

Whew. That felt good!

Relationships take a work, some more so than others. I guess it's the "relating" part of the word. Are you more of a solitary person, content to float through life alone, or do you prefer the company of many?

God's promise to us is that we are never alone. Once we accept Him as our Savior, we become part of the body of Christ. We are God's people! We are no longer solitary people, standing on the sidelines or drifting along through life. We are a part of the family of God! Praise Him, indeed!

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." - 1 Peter 3:8

So I am going to focus on thanking God for some more of my relationships now...

• Steve - he rocks! He's the best husband ever. Well, my only husband ever, but I love him so much. He is steady love. He doesn't run hot and cold with me, depending on if I've cooked his favorite meal or given him a mean look. He loves me unconditionally. And he knows how to fix things around the house. I love that about him.
  
• Kristyn, Corey & Nolan - the best bonus daughter, son-in-law and grandson a woman could have. They are walking examples of love.

• Mother - she is so loving, kind, and is in the throws of excitement right now, anticipating her first biological grandson from my sister Jenn. 20 more days! WOO-HOO!!!!!!
  
• Jenn - my sister - see above. My sister is joy, kindness, love and goodness and should win "The Best Sister Ever in the Whole Wide World" award. Is there one of those? If not, I should make her one.
  
• My best friend Harriett. She is closer than a sister to me and I love her so much. We are true spiritual sisters in Christ. She is my angel-friend. God truly blessed me with her.
  
• My Blog Friends - oh what a a joy it is to be blessed by you daily. God has used each and every one of you tremendously in my life. I am a new person since Twinkle Mom introduced me to the world of blogging - really blogging. God bless you, Twinkle Mom!
  
• The WOW Gals - a great group of sisters. We are a group of friends on yahoo that talk daily about everything from chocolate-stealing mice to how God blesses our socks off.

From Da Chief to my husband to my parents to my sister to my friends, God has stirred my heart this morning to be truly appreciative of relationships. They are the stuff life is made of.

What have you to say about the relationships in your life? Are you grateful and appreciative, thanking God for the people God has placed in your path? Join our host, Iris, and see what she and the other women are thankful for today. I truly believe you will walk away blessed if you do.