May’s Blessings and Reminders

Posted on June 1, 2024 by

33 Comments

Hello Friends! I’m back! And I am bringing another monthly “blessings and reminders” post.

Reset

As you might know, I was offline for a few weeks. I wasn’t blogging or on social media. I tried to limit my time on email and such.

Also, my husband and I didn’t eat any snacks or desserts after dinner. We were in the habit of eating something every night. This was something I looked forward to, as though food would bring joy. I also added some sort of movement, such as Pilates, into many of my days.

Mainly I made an attempt to eliminate distractions, so I could place my energy on the right things. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed when there is too much on my plate. Taking this break helped me to reset, in order to create a better balance in my life.

This time brought several reminders. Less stress brought more peace. This might seem obvious, however, this really confirmed that I do need to find a better balance each day. Less distractions overall helped me to focus. And slowing down was also beneficial to my attitude. I tend to be edgy when I feel overwhelmed. I hope this helps motivate me to make better choices in the future.

I love to read and this break gave me time to read more meaningful books. Currently I am reading several devotions that focus on the love of God and prayer. I’m finding that when we are intentional about tuning into God’s presence in our lives, it helps open our eyes to His goodness.

Another takeaway in regards to reading, and also in regards to faith, is that when we have more bandwidth, so to speak, we are better able to process what we are learning and apply changes to our lives. Last month I had time to evaluate my actions, reactions, thoughts and words.

Trust

Towards the end of the month, we had a financial concern. The check for our mortgage payment got into the wrong hands. Someone altered the check, put their own name on it, and deposited into their bank account. (We’ve heard about this sort of thing on the news before. So just a warning to be careful, as these things really do happen.) It’s a long story, so I will try to whittle it down. At this point we have not gotten the money back, but we are hopeful that we will. They know who did it, so hopefully this guy will have consequences for his actions.

One thing that struck me, though, was that I wasn’t really worried or stressed about it. I had to take time off work to go to the bank. We had to put a lock on our old account and open a new one. We had to switch a lot of things over from the old account to the new one. But I was okay with all of this. In Philippians 4:7 it talks about “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.” We can have this peace in the midst of a trial when we truly trust that God is with us through everything we face.

I admit that I am not there yet with all the worries in my life. However, it was nice to see that I was able to trust God in this situation.

Awareness

Last weekend I had Monday off for the U.S. holiday Memorial Day. (In case you are not familiar, this is a day to honor those who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.) I also took Friday off, which means I had a four-day weekend. The two middle days, Saturday and Sunday, I noticed that I felt rested and peaceful. Monday I started feeling nervous and anxious. Some things going on with my car played a part in this, but I also believe my weekend coming to a close also added to that.

I have a great job that I love. However, this incident helped me understand better that even when things in life are going well, I have a tendency to stuff down my stress and worries. We need to stay aware of what is going on the inside and also incorporate ways to bring restoration into our lives.

Your Turn!

Now it’s your turn. Please share some highlights from your month.

Also, if you have any special prayer requests, please let me know those as well.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed weekend.

May 22, 2024

© 2018-2024 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.

Category: Seeking God

33 Comments on “May’s Blessings and Reminders”

  1. It’s great to see you post again, Bridget. 🤗 I kept checking, thinking WP unsubscribed me!

    School is out for the summer, and, even though my break is shorter (as an admin), there’s already less stress.
    However, like you said, one must stay aware to what’s going on inside. A text from a teacher, about a thorny issue, brought my angst back up quickly.
    Thank you for the update on what’s going on with you. I’ll be praying that you get your mortgage payment money back. Fraud is fraud.
    I’m finding myself with more time to write, play guitar, and go on long walks with my wife this summer.

    Please pray for my three sons: L, H, and C. Each of them faces obstacles and challenges with adulthood.

    Blessings, sister!

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    Reply

    • Good morning, David! I’m sorry that you were worried about WordPress unsubscribing you. We have seen strange things on WP for sure!
      What a gift that you get a bit of a break and less stress during the summer. I love that you have been able to enjoy some downtime. That’s wonderful.
      But I do understand what you mean about the text that brought angst. That has happened to me at times when I checked my work email after hours. And last night I tried to log into my work email but had a problem getting in. I took it as a sign that I shouldn’t be checking it late on a Friday night! Although I know in the case of your text, it couldn’t be helped. I pray that over the coming weeks, you are surrounded by the peace that surpasses understanding.
      Thank you for the prayers with the mortgage payment!
      And yes I will certainly pray for your sons. I often pray for H and I will be happy to include L & C also. Sometimes we feel like we are helpless in our worries and helpless in making an impact. But I am so thankful for prayer, because it gives us an opportunity to team up with God. And prayer is our most powerful weapon.
      Blessings to you too!

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  3. So good to see your post my friend. Looks like you have utilised your time away really well. I think slowing down to rest and reflect is so very valuable. Praying that you get your mortgage payment money back.
    Over here, we are just in the start of winter. Not that cold yet. The cold has been a bit late in setting in.
    Blessings to you my friend 💙

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    Reply

    • Thank you, Manu! I agree – if we can take a break from certain things for a time, it does wonders for our soul. It’s not always possible to do that from all of our responsibilities. But if we can at least clear some things from our plate, it allows us to have more room for the vital things. Thank you for the prayers on the mortgage payment! I just checked your weather and it looks like it’s raining as I type this! I hope the season ahead brings good things. Blessings to you too, my friend! ♥️

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  4. Welcome back Bridget! 😊 It is encouraging to read your testimony of how the peace of God has blessed you. I will pray for the Lord to deal with the fraud. May has been a tough month for us with the usual ongoing health issues and problems with neighbours, but God has these in His hands, Hallelujah. May He continue to guide and bless you each day sister 🙏

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    • Thank you, Alan! And thank you for the prayers. It really was a gift to see how God brought peace in this situation! I’m sorry that May has been a tough month for you. I will keep you in my prayers. But you are right – God is there and He is greater than anything we face! Thank you for the kind words! And blessings to you! 🙏

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  5. Welcome back Bridget! I missed your posts but so thankful you had a time of rest. I feel God’s starting to nudge me to do the same soon. I usually do it every year and have not so far. So sorry to hear about your check. I hope the issues are resolved very soon. I have my mortgage on auto draft but even with those you have to be careful. I have had fraud on my credit cards before. It’s frustrating so I pray you get your money soon. I get that anxious feeling too after a weekend, especially longer ones. I think they call it the Sunday blues lol. But anyway it’s been a busy month for me but I was thankful to visit family in Missouri over the Memorial Day weekend. Have a wonderful weekend my friend. 🥰

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    • Taking a break can be so refreshing when we approach it well. When you take your break, I hope you find peace and a fulfilling time with the Lord. Yes, any kind of fraud is frustrating. The mortgage check was through bill pay, but I have now moved it to auto draft. Thank you for the prayers! One thing that has helped me going back to work on Monday morning is the reminder that the weeks go by so fast. Before I know it, the weekend is on the way again. It’s crazy how time flies. I’m so glad you had time with family over the long weekend. That’s a blessing! Thank you and I hope your weekend is wonderful too 💜

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  6. Good to see your sweet encouragement and faith. Also good for you for taking time to reset. I found it helpful to learn from Hans Selye, stress expert, that life is stressful. If you have no stress you’re dead. Stress is both bad and good, depending on how we view it. I remember reading somewhere that excitement and anxiety produce the same body reactions; it just depends on how we frame it. May God send you extra blessings for your faithfulness and trust in Him. I’m hoping to finally republish my first novel for father’s day, since my dad believed in me from the start. ❤

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    • Such good points about stress. And in relation to my job, I have also felt that stress was good, because it meant that I cared about my work and I wanted to do it well. So thank you for that help with the right perspective! And thank you for the kind words! Sending prayers that all goes well with republishing your book! That’s wonderful news! ♥️♥️

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  8. I pray the promise of Psalm 103:6 may be fulfilled for you–and SOON: “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” Kudos to you Bridget for implementing strategies that improve your life and grow your relationship with God!

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    • Thank you so much for that, Nancy! I truly appreciate your prayers and the verse! ♥️ And thank you for the kind words. I admit I still stumble a lot, but just this morning I thanked Jesus for not giving up on me. I’m so glad we have Him to guide us and show us the right paths. 🙌

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  9. It’s good to see you back, Bridget! You always have a great way with providing encouragements in everyday things. I’m so sorry about your mortgage check!! That’s scary. I’ll be praying you have it returned, thankful for God’s provision and work in you through it all. 🤗

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    • Thank you, Summer! I’m glad this was encouraging. And thank you for your prayers! I’m so glad we can trust the Lord through all the ups and downs! 🙌 It’s not always easy, but He is always there for us. ♥️

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  11. Good to see you, Bridget. I’m with you. Not completely offline, but limiting my screen time. Adding extra love into our meals and increasing the fruits and veggies. May was really good. Oh, and I deleted Facebook from my phone.

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    • I always love hearing about the things you are up to in your life, Crystal, because you have a way of inspiring me to make changes in my life too. I pray we can both stay on a positive path! ♥️♥️

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  12. Pingback: Being Intentional… – EagleSight

  14. Welcome back and thank you for this inspiring post. You are so right…it is important to take

    a pause and reflect on things. We often find there are simpler ways of dealing with a difficult

    situation when we stand back a bit. We feel that we cannot take a break because then something will be left undone. It is usually the exact opposite. With prayer and time away, we get a clearer perspective.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m sorry, Linda, it appears missed this comment 😞 But I agree with you wholeheartedly – taking time away with the Lord will always reap more fruit than we could ever produce on our own. ♥️

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    • Thank you! The bank is still investigating. I guess these things take awhile? 🤷‍♀️ But I agree, as we grow closer to the Lord throughout our walk, I believe it brings more and more of that perfect peace. What a gift 🎁

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