As we are in the season of thanksgiving, I wanted to share about a sweet friend who I am thankful for, and how she encourages me greatly in the art of being a homemaker, wife and mom. She is a fiery, stunning Puerto Rican with a heart of gold. Whenever she is around, I am encouraged to love and honor my husband and family more, not because she tells me to. But because she does it herself and is an example by the way she lives.

She loves and takes care of her husband because she loves her Lord first and foremost and is thankful for His blessings, and secondly, she loves her husband and is thankful for his hard work and how he loves and takes care of her. What a beautiful picture of marriage-- a husband and wife who honor each other and show gratitude by doing the best they can in the roles and work God has given them.

Giving God our best may look different in each home as abilities, capabilities and skill levels can vary. But He knows what our best is and knows how much we can give. Whether our best is a lot or a little we should always do it in the name of Jesus. He should always the highest place of honor in our home.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

Something else my friend lives out is her keeping her priorities- and that is Jesus first, and secondly is her husband. A part of how she makes him a priority is making sure she is there when he gets home, not because he demands it, but because she loves to be with him and to take care of him. When she comes over, she always schedules out her time to make sure she can hang out for a while and then have enough time to get home to start dinner! She plans ahead, and is diligent...You know, the more I talk about her the more I am realizing she is pretty much the woman Proverb 31 describes!

I once heard someone pray something along the lines of "help us to focus on what we need to and let go of the rest" I love that. I think it's easy to lose track of what our main priorities are and take on more than we can or maybe should. Let's ask God to refocus our priorities on what He wants us to do and ask for help let go of other unnecessary things crowding our time. So, we can then give more time and attention to giving our best in what God has placed before us and allowing Him to grow our capability beyond what we thought we could.

^"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[h]without reproach, and it will be given to him."

James 1:5

I will close with this beautiful encouragement from Scripture God has given to us women...

³ Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, ⁴ so that they may ^]encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Titus 4:3-5

How beautiful. and that is exactly what my friend does for me by her example of giving her best, and her thankfulness and honor for her own husband and family!

This week as we prepare our homes for guests, and our menus for Thanksgiving let us not forget to prepare our hearts with thankfulness for all God has done and has given us this season--and may that gratitude be poured out on our families! and may everything we do this week (and every day after) be done for our Lord Jesus!

Happy Thanksgiving (Week!)

xx, H