Happy Birthday

A Devotional
by Margot Cioccio

2 Corinthians 12:10
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I've been working on finishing a e-book of the posts from the A-Z challenge. I had hoped to have it ready for today but I only gotten finished up through letter H so far. So it will be coming sometime this month. 

I found these cute candy bar wrappers on Penterest. Since I can't hand them to you in person you can click on the photo to be take to the page where you can print these.

Birthdays are an interesting thing for me. I generally go and spend some special time with the Lord. I believe that the Lord has some special Birthday gift that he wants me to be open to receiving. I suppose tomorrow morning I will spend that kind of time before the Lord on behalf of this blog.

Where are we going with this Blog? I know that there are some of you who have come to really look forward to these posts each day. That kind of boggles my mind. I so often find my self thinking "Who the heck am I to think I have something to say" Yet in reading back over the A-Z posts I find myself surprised by my own thoughts. I am even more surprised that I have been able to be so open about my own struggles. I'm a very private person or have been most of my life. Yet some how God has put it on my heart to share about my struggles and experiences, and how I work through them.

I never really know when I sit down to write - what is going to come out. Today marks one year of blogging.  I don't know how I have done it except to say I've taken it step by step one day at a time.
It seems to be important to the Lord that I do this - so I keep writing. In some ways it is not all that different from the stacks of journals that I've written through the years except that I was terrified that someone might read them. My life is becoming more and more an open book. I have become the journal and he Lord writes upon my life to tell His amazing story.

I love it when I read my bible and how the many stories are not white washed. You read about all the dumb, stupid and selfish things that these bible guys and gals did. You also read about how some of them over came and went on to do great things for God in spite of circumstances the seemed impossible.  I don't want to sell God short to anyone. I want people to realize that we can be real with God and we can learn to be real with one another. If I just concentrate on dealing with that blasted log in my own eye - I don't have time throw stones at you for your struggles and failures.

Coming Soon!

I did notice in editing the A - Z posts that they do get a bit long at times. So I will call it a night and thank you for reading along with me. Wonder what God has for us in the year to come?
Happy 1 Year Birthday - we will continue to celebrate for the whole month. Stay tuned and watch for the release of the new A-Z e-book. 

Prayer
Dear Lord,  Thank you for this amazing year of writing. Thank you for each and every person you bring to these posts. Thank you for those who faithfully follow along on a regular basis. I pray for wisdom to know where we go from here. I thank you for those who are praying for this blog and for me - that is a great gift, and I am blessed beyond measure.  I lift each one before your throne of Grace and ask that you would bless them with an even deeper and fuller relationship with you.