Bridget A. Thomas

Several weeks ago I went into the grocery store, and went to grab the one and only available shopping cart. Behind me an elderly couple came into the store, but stopped abruptly when they saw there were no other carts. I pushed the cart toward them and told them they could have it. They hesitated and asked if I was sure. I told them that I wasn’t getting much, so I could use a basket. They thanked me and we went on our way.

Not long after that, I came out of the store and there was a little boy that looked scared to talk to me. But he asked me if I wanted to buy something he was selling. He was soft spoken, so I couldn’t hear all that he said, and I don’t even know what he was selling. Unfortunately, though, I wasn’t able to help and I told him I didn’t have cash. As I walked away I felt terrible for not supporting him, and I prayed that there were other grocery shoppers who would be able to help him. That boy crossed my mind for days, as I wished I had been able to donate to his cause.

A few days later, for some reason I remembered the shopping cart incident. And then it struck me – why did I keep thinking about the negative experience, and I had forgotten all about the positive experience?

But it’s not just me. Studies show that people retain negative experiences more so than positive ones.

However, we can train our brains to focus on the positive things in life more than the negative. It takes time and patience, but it’s worth the effort.

And the Bible even tells us to focus on the good. Paul wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8 KJV).

Focusing our thoughts on positive things isn’t naive, a waste of time, or wishful thinking. We have heard how staying positive is better for our health and well-being. However, as Christians, it goes deeper than that. When we keep our mind on the good things in life, on God Almighty, on gratitude and praise – we are walking in faith.

Negative situations will come in life, and we will often have things to worry about. But when we stay optimistic, we are showing God that we trust in Him. Even in the midst of a difficult time, we believe that God’s promises are true. We believe He is there and He is working everything out.

The truth is that God is on our side (see Psalm 56:9). And He does work things together for good (see Romans 8:28). So we can either walk like we believe it, or we can spend our days stressed out.

When we stand firmly on truth, we are drawing near to God. This also sends the enemy running. It says in James 4:7 (KJV), “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

When we keep our focus on the positive, we are proclaiming that we trust in The God of the universe. No matter what comes our way, we can stay in peace and keep an optimistic mindset because we know our Heavenly Father is there for us. As His children, He wants only what’s best for us.

Pray with me: Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry that I tend to focus on the negative things in life. I know you want your children to have the abundant life (John 10:10), and we can’t do that when our focus is in the wrong place. I want to be strong in my faith. Please help me to push aside the negative. Help me to stay positive, focusing on Your goodness in my life. Thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

When life brings us trials and difficulties, it can be discouraging. In times like this we have to make an extra effort to look for the good and keep our faith strong.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

I was walking through a season like this when I prayed and asked God to show me the breakthroughs. It felt like everything was wrong, so I needed His help to see the good. And God came through! He showed me several recent breakthroughs in my life and the lives of loved ones. He showed me answered prayers and times when He intervened on our behalf.

Part of the problem was that I was so discouraged and this prevented me from seeing the goodness around me. But when I asked God to open my eyes, He answered.

Around this same time, my husband and I were in the truck riding down a country road. We both thought there was a squirrel or some other small critter in the road, so my husband applied the brakes to slow down. But as we got closer, what we thought was three dimensional was actually just a tire mark on the pavement.

Suddenly a deer ran across the road in front of us. This all happened so quickly. If my husband had not slowed down, we could have hit the deer.

I blurted out, “God did it.”

God helped us slow down so we wouldn’t hit the deer. This was another reminder of God’s goodness.

The problems in life during this time didn’t change, but my perspective was improved. And as a result, while facing these problems, I was reminded that God was still working on our behalf. I had more peace, knowing He was in our corner.

Now when I get discouraged, I try to remember the incident with that deer as a reminder that God is watching over us.

I want to encourage you today to look back over your life and find your own deer stories. Look for times when God showed up, and keep those memories tucked in your heart. Then when you are discouraged or worried, these past experiences will help boost your faith. You will be reminded that God is always there, He is in control, and He is making a way for you.

Today and every day, let’s remember to look for the blessings. It’s all too easy to focus on the negative, especially when life brings challenges our way. Let’s believe God’s promises and believe that He will be there for us. Let’s keep our faith strong. His goodness is all around us, even on the hard days. I pray we can learn to keep our eye’s open for God’s goodness.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! – Psalm 34:8 NKJV

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

If nothing else, perhaps the title of this post got your attention. 😅🧁

Not too long ago we made blueberry muffins. A few days later we made cornbread muffins. We ate some of the muffins here and there. When we were down to two of each, I put the four muffins in a single container to save room in the refrigerator. We polished off the blueberry muffins first. Then we finally ate the two cornbread muffins.

We were sitting at the table and I said to my husband, “Is it just me, or do these taste like blueberry muffins?” My husband agreed and we were both flabbergasted! Simply by sharing a container with the blueberry muffins, the taste of the cornbread muffins changed. 😱 One muffin influenced the other.

My mind started spinning and I couldn’t help but think about how we have to be careful with what we allow to influence us. From the people we are around, to the programs we watch on television, and what we see on social media – all of this has an impact on us.

The Bible tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).

We have to make God’s Word and Presence a priority in our lives. We have to fill our hearts and minds with the right things and with truth. The things that we allow to flow through our eyes, ears, and minds will leave a mark, for good or bad.

Guarding our hearts also means that we have to be careful with our own attitudes and emotions. It can be easy for negative feelings to get the best of us. Sometimes negative emotions come out of nowhere, which could mean that the enemy is trying to bait us. As we talked about a couple of days ago, we have to fight back the enemy’s lies with truth. It’s all too easy for the world around us to bring us down and impact us in a negative way.

But remember that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NKJV). When we walk daily with Holy Spirit, we will be the ones to positively impact those around us, without even trying.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5, we are the light of the world. May our lights shine in the dark world around us!

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

When we are struggling with difficulties in our lives, we often hope for something particular to take place. Depending on what kind of trial we are facing, we might believe that a certain outcome is what we need in order to get over this hurdle.

If it’s medical concern, we might put our hope in a test result. If we are facing financial difficulties, our hope might be in a better job or paycheck.

It’s okay to hope and pray for things in our lives. However, I believe at times we are putting our hope in the wrong place. We are putting our hope in a certain outcome, instead of putting our hope in Almighty God. We are passionate about the end result, instead of being passionate about the One who will get us there. We are focused on what we think is best, and sometimes we put God in a box.

And I believe this adds more stress to the situation. At times we have our fists wrapped so tightly around an outcome, that we lose sight of the Lord and trusting Him.

There is something I try to remember to say each morning when I wake up, which helps me to remember to keep my focus on Jesus, to trust Him, and to wait for Him to move in my life:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3:22-24 (NIV)

Our human eyes and perspectives are very limited. We cannot imagine how God might come through for us. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

If we put our hope in an outcome instead of putting our hope in God, we will get frustrated when our plans don’t work out. He sees the big picture, and He knows what is best. He wants us to trust Him and put our hope in Him. And He wants to use our challenges to draw us closer to Himself. He is our goal.

May we learn to hold our hands open towards Him and say, “Thy will be done.”

Pray with me: Lord, I am so sorry. I can see that I have been placing my hope in the wrong place. When I am uncomfortable and looking for a way out of the mess, I place my hope in the outcomes that I want to see. Help me to place my hope in You and You alone. Help me to keep my eyesight fixed on You. I believe You are going to move in my life in a big way. I don’t want to put You in a box. I want to see what amazing things You have in store. Thank You, Jesus.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Something God laid on my heart recently was that our faith, trust, and confidence in Him needs to be well rooted. When difficult situations come our way, this will shine a light on how well rooted we are. If we react with confidence in God’s goodness, we can see we are well rooted. However, if we show a lot of fear, anxiety, panic, and worry – we might have shallow roots.

It’s normal to worry and have fears, but we can’t allow them to control us. Instead we need to base our perspective on The One who is in control and on His unwavering goodness.

I love the words found in Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV). Paul wrote, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

This is a prayer all Christians need. When Jesus dwells in our hearts, when we are rooted in His love, and when we fully grasp how wide, long, high, and deep His love is – this brings us to complete trust in Him. We will not be shaken by trials or attacks. We will not be upset by bitter words spoken against us. We will not dread what may come.

We are safe in our Good Shepherd’s care. This means there is absolutely nothing we need to worry about.

I realize this is easier said than done. Therefore, we have to remind ourselves of truth. The enemy will be quick to feed us doubts, and we have to remember to fight back with truth. It takes consistency, but we can get there. With the Lord’s help, we can become well rooted.

Pray with me: Dear Heavenly Father, I want to be well rooted in my faith and trust in You. No matter what comes my way, I don’t want to be shaken. I want to be full of trust in You, Your love, Your goodness, and Your plans for my life. I know You love me beyond measure, and that alone should remind me I have nothing to fear. Help me to continually abide and lean on the Good Shepherd. Every moment of every day. Thank You. In Jesus’ beautiful name I pray. Amen.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day to honor those in the Armed Forces who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Many, like me, have the day off from work. But I fear that many also forget the true meaning of this national holiday, and only look forward to an extended weekend.

Today let’s take a moment to reflect on the importance of this holiday, and let us remember the brave souls who died for our freedom.

Also, many thanks to those currently serving, to our veterans, and to the families who have to sacrifice a lot as well.

And I hope all of you reading this have a blessed day, with whatever it holds.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

As Christians, we have a huge gift with us every moment of every day – the gift of the Holy Spirit and God’s presence with us.

In John 14:16-17 NKJV Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.“

And in Acts 2 we read about how the Holy Spirit came upon the first Christians on the day of Pentecost, which we celebrate today on Pentecost Sunday.

When we gave our lives to the Lord, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. I think sometimes we forgot the magnitude of this. He is with us always.

When we are facing a difficult situation, we might feel like we are alone. We think the weight of the world is on our shoulders. We believe that we have to fix things on our own.

However, the truth is that we have THE Living and Almighty God of the universe with us. Every moment. No matter how things look, or how we might feel, we are not alone.

I just want to remind you of this truth today. Whatever you are facing, you are not alone. Take comfort in the fact that God is with you. Allow Him to lead and to handle the trials in your life. There is power in His presence!

Pray with me: God, I want to thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I forget sometimes that You are always with me. In those moments, fear and worry come in. It feels like I’m alone and I have to handle everything in my own strength. Help me to keep my eyes on You. Help me to lean into Your presence and rely on Your strength. I’m so grateful that You are always near. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

No, this post isn’t a test. But in life we will be tested often.

It says in Proverbs 17:3 AMP, “The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts.”

When things go wrong, or when life brings one problem after another, stop and consider – could this be a test?

I’m sorry to say, I have failed many of these tests. I’m so thankful the Lord doesn’t give up on us!

Maybe, like me, you wonder why we have to be tested. Why can’t life just be easy? As the verse above implies, the Lord is refining us. In our testing, He is strengthening us. When we have to wait, we are learning patience. When we don’t get our way, we are learning to trust God.

When you are being tested, make a decision to face your test with faith. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Ask Him to show you what it is you need to learn. And allow Him to lead you through this difficulty. There is no safer place to be than in His hands.

Pray with me: LORD, I’m sorry I have often failed the tests in life. I allow worry and fear to have too much room in my heart. As a result, my faith and trust weaken. I’m making a decision, here and now, to keep my focus on You. No matter what. I choose to trust You, every day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

What an incredible Lord and Savior we have. He is everything to us. He is the beginning and the ending of our stories, and hopefully every day in between. When others look to us, I hope they see the light and love of Jesus shining in our lives.

Often our prayers are more about what we can get from the Lord. But this week, as we approach Easter, let us take time just to praise Him for who He is. Even if He gave us nothing, He still deserves our praise.

In church a couple of Sundays ago, we were singing a worship song about how amazing it is to be loved by God, and how faithful and good He is. It struck me that He deserves more from me. More praise and gratitude. Less complaining and worrying.

When we complain and worry, we have a divided heart. We might say we trust God one moment, but our complaints and worries show how we aren’t fully trusting Him.

He is always there. Our Good Shepherd never leaves us. He faithfully watches over us, every moment. Even when we don’t see it or realize it, His goodness and mercy are chasing us down.

The God of the universe, who set each star in place, sees each of us. He hears our prayers. He cares about what we are going through. He is the most loving Father there is, which means we can trust Him to fight our battles.

He sent His one and only Son to take our place on the cross. Jesus died, so we could live. He paid the price we could never pay. How can we ever doubt His love?

As Paul asks in Romans 8:32 (NLT), “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”

His love for us is so overwhelming. We cannot even comprehend how vast it is.

As we approach Good Friday, let us keep in mind what Jesus did for us. The suffering He went through, for our salvation. His sacrifice is beyond words.

And as we approach Easter Sunday, may we remember His resurrection. He is no longer on the cross. He is no longer in the grave. He has risen. He defeated death and sin.

Thanks to Jesus, we have so much to be grateful. We have eternity in heaven to look forward to. And while we are on this earth, our eternal lives have already begun. We have a priceless relationship with our Almighty God. We can approach the throne of God in prayer, any moment of any day. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us, guiding us each day. And God showers us with His love and blessings, because He delights in us.

May each day of our lives be full of wonder, because of the priceless gift Jesus has given us.

I wish you all a Happy Easter, celebrating our Savior. ✝️

If you have never invited Jesus into your heart, I encourage you to do so now. It will be the best decision of your life. Please see the prayer here.

And if you have any special prayer requests, please let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading. God bless!

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

I don’t remember where my mother originally got the cane, but it was likely at a yard sale. It was black and a bit ugly, to be honest. But it traveled around and was used for many years.

If anyone else would have had that cane, there’s a good chance it would have wound up in the dump. But my mother doesn’t make a habit of trashing much of anything.

One day my mother took a closer look at the cane. She discovered that the reason why the cane was black was because it was wrapped with electrical tape. After all those years, my mother felt the need to investigate and she started peeling away the tape. She unraveled the entire layer covering the cane from top to bottom.

Underneath my mother discovered a beautiful, gold cane. For so long she carried around something ugly, while she actually held a treasure and didn’t even know it.

This reminds me that there is so much goodness around us. There is goodness in our lives. There is goodness inside ourselves. There is goodness inside our loved ones and the people we encounter.

Yet many times we focus on the negative. Often we can’t see beyond the tape that is wrapped around the situations we face and the people in our lives.. 

Like my mother did with the cane, we need to take a closer look. We need to pause and look at the bigger picture. Our human eyes don’t always see things with the right perspective. Sometimes we have to ask God to help us see things the way He sees them. We have to ask God to help open our eyes to the goodness around us and to the beauty around us.

Let us make an effort to keep our eyes open for God‘s goodness. Let us take the time to look for the beauty inside ourselves. Let us remember to always look for the good in the people around us. And in each situation we face, may we remember that there is always something to be thankful for.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7b NIV

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8 NIV

Thank you for reading. God bless. 🙏🏻

© 2018-2026 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.