My New Favorite Outfit: Give Thanks

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Give Thanks

As we prepare for Thanksgiving I wanted to share with you all a verse that hit home with me recently.  It's 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and it reads, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

It can be so easily to take for granted how blessed we really are. I know I'm guilty of making a mountain out of a mole hill. Take for example the process of doing my morning devotions.  I get the coffee ready and set the delay timer the night before, so not to wake anyone up by clanging around in the kitchen at 5:30. I tip toe into the kitchen, pour my hot cup of deliciousness, then sneak down to basement with my iPad and Bible in hand. I settle down and just begin to read when I hear the jingle of our dogs tags and her nails across our wood floor.  Every morning. I know it's going to happen and I still get frustrated. 

I then have to stop what I'm doing, go let her out, feed her, and pray that the ruckus doesn't wake Grant up.  I sure am not "rejoicing always." 

But, it's all about perspective.  Once the dog has been out and eaten she doesn't go back to bed, she comes and snuggles next to me on the couch.  She just wants to spend time with me.  That's worth rejoicing about.  

Then there's the "pray without ceasing" part.  I think God wants to be on our speed dial.  He wants a relationship with us.  He wants us to "call him up" like we do our best friend, our spouse, our mom. Just to talk. He wants us to share the good, the bad, and the ugly with him.  Let's face it, He already knows, He just wants to hear it from us.  Praying doesn't have to be some big fancy presentation.  

Mathew 6: 7-8 says "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. For your Father knows what you need before you ask him..." God just wants to hear from us.

Then lastly: "give thanks in all circumstances." That, my friends, is a doozy. All circumstances, not just the good ones.  This reminds me of a sermon I heard recently at church in reference to the life of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  To sum in up, God came to Joseph and told him about the life He'd called him into and also revealed the power he'd later have over Egypt. 

Just because God called him didn't mean he was going to have an easy life. Before ultimately becoming the king of Egypt his jealous brothers wanted to kill him, but decided to sell him into slavery.  He was bought by a wealthy family, but would not sleep with the woman of the house, then ended up in jail because of a he said/she said battle. 

Do you think it would be easy to "give thanks in these circumstances?" I think many would turn and run from God, but Joseph did not.  He remained faithful to God and it says time and time again throughout the story of Joseph's life that God was with him.

I think it can be easy to assume that once you choose to trust God life will be easy, but that's not usually the case.  We should "give thanks in all circumstances," because every step we take when we're in relationship with God takes us one step closer to who he calls us to be.  



Now about my outfit today. I really love how it looks and I actually wore it once last week to school then last weekend for errands too. I scored this Ann Taylor sweater from thredUP, (get $10 off your first order here) and I found this blanket scarf here.  


I have to be honest about the blanket scarf though, it literally is big enough for a family to have a picnic on.  Seriously.  When I wore it to school it was about 12 degrees that day and I was pretty comfortable in it until about 2:00, when I was too hot and had to take it off.  

Then, when I wore it on Saturday it was around 40 degrees and I. Was. Hot.  It worked great for errands, but the second I was inside I was really uncomfortable.  This was my initial fear before I bought it. So here's my suggestion, if you decide to hop on the blanket scarf bandwagon, wear it with one light layer, like a long sleeve tee. I've also heard of people cutting it in half....I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do that though... So, I love how this outfit looks, but I feel like it's a fashion + function = failure


Sweater: Ann Taylor via thredUp similar
Vest: Wet Seal similar
Scarf: Style This Life same
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Unisa c/o DSW same

Today I'll leave you with this great graphic from She Reads Truth and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

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16 comments:

  1. What a great post and so well written!! Very true and I'm often guilty of making a mountain out of a mole hill so this was a nice reminder, thanks for sharing Ginny:) Now onto your outfit, it's a perfect everyday look and love the blanket scarf. I actually tried that one on but couldn't get it to look that cute it just looked huge on me. I did hop on the bandwagon and picked one up at AEO but it's smaller so I find it easier to wrap. Happy Thanksgiving.
    Marta
    www.sweatersstripesandsweets.com

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  2. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! The scarf looks so pretty on you!

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  3. Love this verse and love your sweet encouragement! (And the blanket scarf is adorable too)!

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  4. This may sound silly but I am thankful for my blog friends. You all have brought so much to me in the past year. I love the blanket scarf trend. I just bought one similar to this one so thanks for the style tips! Susan

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  5. There really is something to be thankful for in almost every situation! I do that same thing and over react to little things. Thanks for the reminder! You look adorable in this!

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  6. Ginny, so beautifully written. I like how you discuss circumstances! We've all had our shares of ups and downs throughout life and sometimes the most difficult times are the ones to rejoice in because a person can become stronger because of them:) You also look adorable in that blanket scarf and FYI....I haven't changed my "no-reply" yet:) I keep forgetting!! Have a great Thanksgiving!

    Audrey
    www.audreysalutes.com

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  7. I'm sporadically reading 1000 Gifts, and it has really inspired me to just be thankful in the day to day. We are so blessed!

    Love your outfit, too! The colors in your blanket scarf are just to pretty!

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  8. Such a beautiful post! Your scarf is fab! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    Jill
    www.dousedinpink.com

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  9. we are military vest twins today! lol Its always great to take a step back and give thanks for all our blessings. We should do it more often

    Cha Cha The Fashion Genius

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  10. I have to say, I've really been enjoying your posts lately. You really have a gift, Ginny. You're definitely "speaking life." I'm thankful for you and your little inspirations each day :)
    Oh and this outfit is great too!

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  11. I loved reading this Ginny. I think praying without ceasing means to pray as you do other things - washing, cleaning, driving....even if it's just one sentence.
    I'm always so encouraged by the story of Joseph as it really does show that God is our deliverer and restorer, even if we're 'in prison' for a long time.
    I love your scarf. You look great!

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  12. Love that verse-it was the focus of last Sunday's sermon and has been one I've been meditating on since. My pastor said if those were the only three things we did for our Christian lives, we'd be set. But how hard are they??? But I have been trying to especially give thanks this week and I will continue to try.

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  13. Love the outfit and I love what you had to say about being thankful. Jesus has done so much for me and I couldn't thank Him enough.

    http://www.geekyjessy.blogspot.com

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  14. Beautiful post for a beautiful girl!

    God bless,
    XO, Claire
    Http://www.littlemissfashionqueen.blogspot.com

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