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A Loved Life

Home, Health, & Adventure

FAITH/THOUGHTS

Bent Towards Gratitude

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December 9, 2020December 9, 2020

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

COLOSSIANS 4:2 (NASB)

The room was dark and Eddie was still asleep when I found myself awake this morning (around 5am). I proceeded to scroll on my phone for 20 minutes while Eddie got up and ready for the day and after he left I crawled out of bed and went and let the kitties out of their room. I shuffled back to my bed and burrowed under the covers and attempted to go back to sleep. It evaded me and after more wasted moments I got up to start my day with washing dishes, making coffee, and finally sitting down to open my Bible.

It’s been a while, months if I’m honest, since I carved out time to intentionally and solely spend with Jesus. Time where it’s just Him & I and His word and my attempts at gleaning some wisdom from reading scripture. Today was a day where I followed the tug on my heart strings and opened the Bible Study I half-abandoned back in September. It pointed me to the above scripture and to tell you it was everything I needed to read would be an understatement. I’ve actually been finding myself doing a lot of those moment-to-moment prayers where I whisper something on my mind to Jesus in petition for a situation. I think it’s a beautiful way to stay in a “continuous mind of prayer” if you will; but one that doesn’t feel like I’m continually going to the Throne of God in reverence. I want to feel that devotion to prayer, that alertness the scripture was talking about.

I found myself, as always, drawn to the commentary of this verse and wanted to share that with you today as well:

“Have you ever grown tired of praying for something or someone? Paul says we should “devote” ourselves to prayer and be “alert” in prayer. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn’t die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God’s way of working His will into our lives. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering – maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best.”

My Bible study asked me this really simple but important question: Why is Thanksgiving an important part of prayer?
Well, we often go to God with our needs, wants, and in petition of others which is beautiful and needed but often leaves out the practice of Praise. Thankfulness is needed and contagious. If we focus more on it then our hearts will bend easier to gratitude. I for one could use more bending towards gratitude and less focusing on my selfishness. I know that in order to move towards those areas I need to also spend more time in devotion to prayer and time with Jesus.


Sweet friends, I know it’s been few and far between for me to write a post like this but I felt like it was time to share a little more truth and encouragement and maybe a little nudge like I needed to talk to Jesus more. I hope this encouraged you, as it did for me, and that your heart is bent more towards gratitude today.

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By:amurray

Hi, I'm amurray

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Hello Friends

I'm Amy and I am so blissed out that you are here. To sum up A Loved Life in three words it would simply be: home, health, and adventure. So if you enjoy laughter, hope, adventures, and pursuing life to the fullest - this place is for you. Please feel free to read along as I share all about this crazy thing called life.

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fffiiinnnaaalllyyy getting around to posting about fffiiinnnaaalllyyy getting around to posting about my first trimester on the blog today ((link in profile)). 

Sharing all about how we got here, how I told @mountain_ed, symptoms I had, thoughts, and the few items I purchased. 

I mean it only took me to week 17 to publish it 🥴

((ps how cute is this little @jellycat_collection egg my beautiful sister in law got me?!?!))
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#alovedlife #murrayedwithlove #baby #pregnancy #livethelittlethings #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #holdersnotfolders #2020  #momentslikethese #charlestonblogger #charlestonbloggers #charleston #holdersnotfolders
Overcast days, soft lights, and slow music are som Overcast days, soft lights, and slow music are some of my favorite things, as is legitimately processing through thoughts.

Sunday chill vibes and thinking through our future as my pregnancy progresses and we will be having a baby in a few months. It's an overwhelming thought to think the at new life is growing inside of me and soon we will be seeing that little face for the rest of our lives. It's all so surreal and exciting and overwhelming and scary to be honest. 

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#alovedlife #alovedlifeblog #aabhome #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #momentslikethese #charleston #charlestonbloggers #homesweethome #documentlife #makehomeyours #howihome #mycuratedvibe #homestyle #homedecor #jessimobsessed #theartofslowliving #lessworkmorelife #theeverygirl #hunkerhome #homesohard #acornerofmyhome #currenthomeview #howwedwell
I'm currently re-thinking the office room as we wi I'm currently re-thinking the office room as we will be turning it into the NURSERY!!! 😱

So far I know I'll be painting over that delicious green to a lighter gray/beige color (storms coming PPG) that is my fav to brighten up the space. I still love the green but with a little baby in there I'm wanting something a little brighter. 

Other than changing the paint color I'm completely unsure of what to do next. I moved the lovely floral curtains to another room and I hope to bring y'all along (and you know that means polls on instagram stories!!) as I figure out this space. 

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#alovedlife #alovedlifeblog #aabhome #nursery  #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #momentslikethese #charleston #charlestonbloggers #homesweethome #documentlife #makehomeyours #howihome #mycuratedvibe #homestyle #homedecor #jessimobsessed #theartofslowliving #lessworkmorelife #theeverygirl #hunkerhome #homesohard #acornerofmyhome #currenthomeview #howwedwell
Oh hi! I'm alive 😊 I've found that really I h Oh hi! 
I'm alive 😊 
I've found that really I haven't had a ton to say or capture because, as mentioned in my previous post, each day feels pretty much the same. 

I do want to start just capturing moments again, even if it's just with my phone & not my fancy professional camera. So this morning Shadow was being super cute and I was able to capture it. 

Now back to working and doing house chores and trying to find my voice again 🙃

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#alovedlife #catlife  #livethelittlethings #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #holdersnotfolders #2021  #momentslikethese #charlestonblogger #charlestonbloggers #charleston
Oh hi! 👋 It's been a hot minute since I've post Oh hi! 👋 It's been a hot minute since I've posted anything. Honestly I just feel like there hasn't been much to say or capture. 

Life has essentially been like groundhog day without many changes. Each week day looks the same with getting up, going for a walk/doing yoga, working from home on my computer, maybe another walk, and then house stuff and streaming shows or movies. 

I hardly see friends and we spend time with a few family members, it's rather unexciting. 

I will say next month holds some more joy. My nephew will enter this world, I'll get to see a friend whose vacation was rescheduled from last year, and we should be finding out the gender of our baby. 

I don't know if I'm alone in not feeling like posting because I feel completely uninspired but it's where I'm at. I'm working on my blog post for my first trimester, trying to soak up sunshine when it's a pretty day, reading or listening to books, and purging things I no longer want or need. 

So there's a small update on me. 
How are you? Anything new going on or are you chilling in perpetual ground hog day like me?
Our sweet baby is THIS BIG today. 😳 I found my Our sweet baby is THIS BIG today. 😳

I found myself just staring at this lemon in my hand thinking "woah, you're growing inside of me and are growing FAST."

@mountain_ed take turns praying every night over this baby and our lives. It's one of the things we've been  consistent in since finding out I was pregnant and it fills my heart with a sense of joy and peace I can hardly explain. 

This season is full of unknown excitement but if I'm honest also alot of anxiety/fear. I've known and know many women who have struggled and are still struggling and it puts everything into perspective. So prayers all around are always appreciated.

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#alovedlife #murrayedwithlove #baby #pregnancy #livethelittlethings #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #holdersnotfolders #2020  #momentslikethese #charlestonblogger #charlestonbloggers #charleston #holdersnotfolders
I can't believe I'm writing this. . .but we are go I can't believe I'm writing this. . .but we are going to be parents! 😱🤯😍

It's so incredibly humbling, surreal, scary, & most of all exciting. If you've been close to me at all you may know that for the longest time I didn't know where I stood on having biological children; in fact I told Eddie time and time again that if it was a deal breaker that he could get out (🤣). He stayed and here we are 4 years later and expecting our child to enter this world in September, God willing. 

I never thought I would see the day but here it is. . .bassinet, onesie, and the softest avocado toy there ever was. We are going to fiercely love you kid. 

We are thankful for any prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby. We also ask that while you are praying to pray for those who are still in waiting for their own children. My door is always open and I am praying for you.
I have found myself reading a lot lately. It's my I have found myself reading a lot lately. It's my escape to get out of the house, travel, meet new people, and cross things off of my imaginative bucket list. We all know that this last year has been incredibly weird and  hard and we're still walking through it. 

⌓

I'm currently listening to the audiobook version of "The House in the Cerulean Sea" by @tjklunebooks & y'all it's so good. I'm always a fan of fantasy and this one is just a fun read. 

⌓

What is a book (or series) you've read recently that you LOVE and love recommending to others? I would love to add more to my list of books to dive into!
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#alovedlife #reading #booklover #bookworm #book #video #winter #livethelittlethings #collectivelycreate #documentyourdays #thatauthenticfeeling #holdersnotfolders #2021  #momentslikethese #charlestonblogger #charlestonbloggers #charleston #holdersnotfolders
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