11-25-2013 COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS.....A YEAR LATER!

thanks·giv·ing ˌTHaNGksˈɡiviNG/ noun 1. the expression of gratitude, especially to GOD. A year ago today, Natalia Sofia had her cancer surgically removed by an amazingly skilled surgeon. With the Lord's guidance, he was able to not only remove her cancer, but reconstruct a bone and salvage her leg. As she went into surgery, we did not know exactly what to expect when he opened her up, all we knew is that the tumor had shrunk with the chemotherapy.....after a long wait, we walked into recovery, and we were shocked to find her in a spica cast holding her tiny body still. As a parent, when you hear the word cancer regarding your child, your entire world falls apart into a million pieces...BUT GOD puts all those pieces together and creates something even BETTER than before the cancer! That's the GOD we serve! As we move into our family's CELEBRATION/THANKSGIVING week....we can't help but remember our last thanksgiving.....spent in our hospital room at All Children's Hospital. Thank goodness for family and friends for taking such good care of us....making sure we had our homemade dinner! Soooo much to be thankful for! Thankful for JESUS' LOVE, GRACE AND MERCY towards us...for RESTORATION, RESURRECTION, HEALING AND RENEWAL. CANT HELP BUT WANT TO SHOUT IT OUT FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN TOPS....LOOK AT WHAT THE LORD JESUS HAS DONE! We still have our baby girl...HERE....with us smiling, laughing heartily, soft, warm and FULL of life! The GOD that is out of the box, the God that raises dead things and makes them come to LIFE! YES! JESUS! He is worthy to be praised, and HE is the one I serve! It is JESUS, the one and only true LIVING GOD, who deserves ALL the praise....ALL our praise! We are grateful for ALL our BLESSINGS.....counting them ONE by ONE, LITTLE BITTY ONES, DAILY....THE BLESSINGS OF LIFE! OUR HEARTS ARE FILLED WITH JOY AND GRATITUDE. Thankful for our family, friends, our lineup of doctors, our amazing surgeon, for our pastor/church, our daily bread...the list goes on and on! Thankful for our trials....for they produce PERSEVERANCE Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. James 1:3 ...because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 5:11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.