Reason no. 1081...

Thank you God that You have made me a child of God and I am not a slave to fear.

This week I have been reading Jeremiah 1:4-10.

Verse 4: God speaks to his children - 'The word of the Lord came to me, saying'. God let me be in a place where I am listening and expecting you to speak.

Verse 5: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' - God knows me and he has chosen me. He has plans and a purpose for me. He is the one who stands through time, the eternal King. He is the One who knows all things.

Verse 6: 'Ah, Sovereign Lord', I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.' Jeremiah is fearful and sees his weaknesses and limitations through his own eyes.

Verse 7: 'But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say 'I am only a child'. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.' - I am a child of the living God, NOT 'only' a child. God is taking Jeremiah and using Jeremiah in what he deems to be his weakness. God will display His glory through Jeremiah. God is shutting down the lie Jeremiah is believing so God's truth can rule in that place.

Verse 8: 'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you', declares the Lord. - With God fear has no place. Fear is a choice. Do I recognise what it means to have God with me in every situation that I face? He is the conquering King and the one who promises to never leave me or forsake me. Do I truly believe it?

Verse 9: 'Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now I have put my words in your mouth'.' - God is not distant but comes to us. He is the One who equips for what He has called his people to do.

Verse 10: 'See today I have appointed you over the nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.' God has plans and purposes for His people. He wants nations and kingdoms to turn to Him and represent Him and His kingdom's values. He wants my sphere of influence to see His love, grace, peace and joy to be in it - for these to be grown let strongholds of fear, anxiety etc. be teared down and destroyed.

Reason no. 1081 :)

Reason no. 1080...

God, let my soul be happy in You each day. Let me learn to pursue You and be truly dependant on You. Reason no. 1080 :)

Reason no. 1079...

Thank you God that You are so good, so faithful, so true. You are peace and full of grace. You are hope and You are my strength. You are my foundation and my refuge. Thank you God that You are my father and my friend. Reason no. 1079 :)

Reason no. 1078...

'Faith is an inner confidence that God above and God alone is enough.'

Reason no. 1078 :)

Reason no. 1077...

'We feel pain but are designed to bring it to God and put it at the foot of the cross.'

Reason no. 1077 :)

Reason no. 1076...

My last ever block of student finance came in. I am thankful for how well my course has been funded! I love how before I even had a clue what degree I would be doing God knew I would receive loads of grants to help get me through! He knows all things and always provides for me. Reason no. 1076 :)

Reason no. 1075...

Just finished reading the book 10,000 reasons by Matt Redman and it was a book filled with testimonies that are really powerful and thought provoking. I love how in the midst of the deepest of valleys God is still with His people. In the midst of facing death, people are still able to worship Him because they have truly grasped who He is. Despite facing death the people in the book have an eternal perspective that keeps them singing in the midst of their pain and suffering. When people receive awful diagnoses, they face a decision: to run from God or to run to God? In this book there are many examples of people of faith who stand on the truth of who God is and use that to get them through their situations. Reason no. 1075 :)

Reason no. 1074...

I had a lovely catch -up with my old housemate this afternoon! I am so thankful for the past 2 years in my house-share. I was blessed with some truly amazing friends! Reason no. 1074 :)

Reason no. 1073...

Back in Manchester after a lovely time back home with my family! David met me at the station to help me with my super heavy suitcase, which was great! Reason no. 1073 :)

Reason no. 1072...

On placement the other week my clinical educator described me as a swan, how when I am with patients I am really calm and glide through smoothly, but inside (my feet) feel really chaotic/ stressed with how the session may be going. Initially I was really happy, I was thinking that's great that is how I am coming across. The other day I began to think about it even more - God's got even more! He doesn't want my exterior to display peace, He wants the whole of me to be authentically at peace. There's been a story about an iceberg in the news recently. Icebergs can be huge, but in fact they are even huger still as there is only a small proportion above the surface, even more is below. God wants all of me - not just the surface. Reason no. 1072 :)

Reason no. 1071...

Thank you God that You have redeemed me! Thank you God that You loved me before I loved You. Thank you God that You loved me before I had a clue of who You were and You loved me at my worst. Thank you God that You thought I was worth bringing into Your family. Thank you God that You want a relationship with me. Thank you God that You showed Your love for me in such a powerful way - Your perfect son died on a cross for me. Thank you God that You forgive me. Reason no. 1071 :)

Reason no. 1070...

Thank you God that You are so faithful and look after Your children. Thank you God that You have lined up a job for me when I have finished and You will get me to the point of starting! I pray that my placement result and my final exam at the end of May will go well so that I qualify and graduate in July. Reason no. 1070 :)

Reason no. 1069...

I am thankful for having people around me who encourage and build me up. In the process of doing it, they are calling out God's heart and God's truth for me. Reason no. 1069 :)

Reason no. 1068...

I am thankful for spending time with my dad! We went out for cooked breakfast and for a walk along the sea front and canal in Hythe. Reason no. 1068 :)

Reason no. 1067...

I am thankful for time with my family. A couple of days ago I went for a lovely walk in the woods filled with bluebells with my mum and sister. I am thankful that as a family we love walking and that means there's nice opportunities to catch up with each other. The landscape was so beautiful with bluebells covering expanses of woodland floor space! Reason no. 1067 :)

Reason no. 1066...

Thank you God that You care about me. Thank you God that You are for me. Thank you God that Your love for me is everlasting. Reason no. 1066 :)

Reason no. 1065...

I love how quick the train journey is between Manchester and Ashford. I always forget how easy the trip is! From Manchester station to Ashford, it was just 3 hours 10 minutes! I love travelling by train and being able to sit, read and do some work :) Reason no. 1065 :)

Reason no. 1064...

On Saturday, David's cousin got married! It was such a beautiful day. The wedding was near Milton Keynes, so we borrowed a car and travelled there and back in a day. I am thankful for people's generosity in lending us their cars this year, but also for the safety of the journey! Reason no. 1064 :)

Reason no. 1063...

Thank you God for enabling me to easily take a week off placement for the interview. I was so in need of a rest and it meant I could prep well for it. Reason no. 1063 :)

Reason no. 1062...

Thank you God for getting Esther home safely and easily, despite the disruptions at London Euston due to the fire the day before. Reason no. 1062 :)

Reason no. 1061...

Thank you God for Your faithfulness! Thank you for helping me get my first Speech and Language Therapy job! Thank you for just bringing it all together so well. Thank you that it is in the most perfect location and I start at the most perfect time! Thank you God that even though I was so convinced the interview was pretty naff, the door still opened for me to get the job. Thank you God that the interview was on a day which my mum was free to be my chauffeur between sites over the day. Reason  no. 1061 :)

Reason no. 1060...

Thank you God that is the midst of everything being so busy, You are still God, still good,still loving and still pursuing me! Reason no. 1060 :)

Reason no. 1059...

Some people are so generous! The youth group received a donation paying for 4 of the youth to go to newday - so good! :) Reason no. 1059 :)

Reason no. 1058...

Thank you God that Your timing is perfect. Thank you God that You will release the right jobs that are suitable to be applied for at the right time. I am thankful that at this very moment in time there are not any band 5 speech and language therapy jobs in Kent as I would be too busy with placement to apply for them. I pray that as things start to quieten down, jobs will be released! Reason no. 1058 :)

Reason no. 1057...

God certainly knows best! I love how I tried to change my placement so I would be working with children, but I was told that I couldn't. At the time I was really annoyed! But 6 weeks in, I am pleased that I was never allowed to swap. If I had, I would have never known that a) I actually can and have the skill-set to work with adults and b) I actually enjoy working with adults! Reason no. 1057 :)

Reason no. 1056...

On Friday night, David and I went for some lovely Mediterranean  cuisine with David's best-man, followed by a trip to the pub! It was a great evening and a nice way to start the weekend  :) Reason no. 1056 :)

Reason no. 1055...

On placement I have met some truly incredible patients, many who have had a stroke and have been left unable to speak. It has allowed me to witness some incredible marriages that are surviving the impact of the stroke together and how despite such a life-changing event it has not stopped them smiling and laughing together. Reason no. 1055 :)

Reason no. 1054...

I am thankful for such beautiful weather these past few weeks, which has meant lots of nice walks and ice cream. A couple of weeks ago I went to a lovely vegan ice cream bar with my coursemates, which is literally less than 5 minutes from where I live! Reason no. 1054 :)

Reason no. 1053...

Only 2 weeks left of my placement! It has certainly been a time of growth and left me wondering whether I want to eventually be working with adults instead of children. Before I started placement it was the last thing I ever thought I'd even be considering! It has been a good placement so far! Not long until the very end! Reason  no. 1053 :)

Reason no. 1052...

Thankful for getting a 2:1 on my dissertation!!! After months of work it was such a relief to not have to redo it! Whist having to submit that piece of work another piece had  been set where I had to set a proposal for a clinical audit...I got 90%!! A mark so much higher than I have ever got before at uni :) It was definitely a confidence boost! Reason no. 1052 :)