Hey friends, how was your weekend? Did you stay indoors, all weekend long, or did you go out? If you did, where did you go? Because I work five days out of the seven, I like to keep my weekends free of activities, except of course, service on Sundays. Last weekend was a bit busier than I like, because we had to go grocery shopping. Now, by now most of you know I do very much enjoy shopping, but uhhhhβ¦. Not for groceries. Grocery buying must be done, though; that isβ¦ if you want to eat.

Over the weekend, I found our grocery amount far exceeded what we budgeted, because the girls will be here for thanksgiving break and of course, Thanksgiving holiday is almost here.

Sometimes, I enjoy cooking, I had to preface that statement with the word βsometimesβ, because I donβt always look forward to that task. Most times, I cook what I know, but every now and then, I will try something different.Β Β My husband and the girls (when they are home) more often than not, seem to always enjoy my cooking.Β Β I know my friend over at Jesusluvsall blogs uses his microwave more than his stove, but we live literally on the opposite ends of the country, unfortunately he canβt come over for a meal.Β

Truthfully, I enjoy cooking, when what I need is immediately available to me. It is quite frustrating when I am prepared to cook and the ingredients are still at the store, thereby making grocery shopping an integral part of our time and money.

The best way to combat any frustration including that of time and money is truly thankfulness. While I was grocery shopping over the weekend, I was reminded of how very prevailed I am.

I serve the God of the Universe. He is great and powerful and mighty, and He absolutely loves me. Thankfully, He is quick to forgive and offer restoration when I stumble.

Out of the almost 800 million people starving in todayβs world, we are not one of them.Β Β In our kitchen, once read a plaque; βthank You Lord, for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell; while others may go hungry, weβre eating very wellβ.

We buy our groceries in bulk, so usually grocery shopping is a βonce a monthβ event; I am thankful, we had the money to spend for our groceries. Thankful for the vehicle we use that takes us grocery shopping. Thankful for the fact that almost everything I need to cook is easily accessible to me. Thankful for the jobs that provide us with money to buy the groceries. Thankful for strength and health that gives us the liberty to buy exactly what we need.

I have found that most times, I am frustrated when I take life for granted; as if itβs something owed to me.Β Β This life is a privilege, a gift from the Lord to me.Β Β I am learning indeed to implement this verse…

when I allow myself to become annoyed over things for which I need to be more grateful.Β Β Reminding myself of all the reasons I have to be thankful, when annoyance or frustrations desire to have their day with my emotions, is a daily practice for me.Β Β I am learning to be thankful for the βwinsβ and do better with the βlosses.Β Β Holiness is the goal for which I must strive, but holiness is perfected with repentance, which precedes forgiveness, tapered with much grace and mercy.Β Β Β

Thankfulness allows us to see how very privileged we are, in spite of the situations, because we are then reminded of the God we serve.Β Β We are reminded of His power and His faithfulness; we are reminded of His grace and mercy toward us. We are reminded that He could have chosen to start over with a new creation, but He stuck with us, a fallible people; but made a way to unite us with Himself.Β

Do you enjoy grocery shopping or cooking? What is something you are thankful for, today?Β

Letβs continue the conversation over onΒ Instagram. Follow myΒ InstagramΒ and I will follow back, just let me know in the comment section. I would love to meet you π

54 responses to “GROCERY SHOPPING?… REALLY???”
Hi Brenda, Thank you for speaking out in encouragement to the world! I just love your message. It reminds me that the things I am frustrated over (like having to go to the store and shop and cook, are incredible in themselves. Realizing that I CAN go and afford enough food for my family, and that I AM ABLE to serve my family by making good meals, is humbling. Praise be to God for using simple things like this to remind us that we are cared for and safe! π Have a wonderful afternoon!
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praise the Lord, to Him be all the glory π Counting our blessings always reminds us of the goodness and grace of our good God π
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I don’t mind cooking, it’s the planning ahead and cleaning up afterward that leaves me not wanting to cook often. We moved earlier this year to accommodate my mom as she lives with us, and so we went from a large kitchen with a dishwasher to a very small kitchen with me, the dishwasher (we went from a large colonial to a split level w/ a complete in-law suite). A fork in the sink makes the kitchen seem cluttered. Working full-time away from home does make planning dinner tricky because while I am fine with a small salad or bowl of cereal, my husband likes a meal. Enter online grocery shopping and InstantPot. I am grateful for all of it. My kitchen may be small, but my mom has her own apartment-type space and she’s not living alone. And even when I don’t want to cook or have everything in the house, InstaCart and InstantPot help with that. Papa has provided win-wins for all things and I am ever so thankful for all of it (even the small kitchen)!
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π π π I must try these services, because after a while, even with the large kitchen and a dishwasher, I still don’t want to cook π π Like your husband, mine likes a meal, cereal won’t do π God bless you, my friend
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I have to confess I do not enjoy grocery shopping or cooking dishes that take forever or have a billion ingredients that are still sitting on the grocery shelves! We have to eat though! π
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And that’s the only reason I cook π π buying dinner is way too costly so cooking is the other option
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I like to grocery shop and cook when I plan ahead. I love online grocery shopping when I am busy. It saves me so much time and I can rest. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in this blog. When we remember how much God has blessed us, complaining and ungratefulness disappears.
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Amen thatβs the key to a happy heart, counting our blessings and sometimes even naming them one by one
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Love this post, the reminder of not taking what seems simple and practical for granted! Although grocery shopping can become overwhelming and stressful it is necessary and we do need to be crazy thankful for it!
Iβve gotten to where I order my groceries online through Walmart and then I go pick them up..I almost felt guilty over this at first BUT the conversations between myself and whoever brings out the groceries to my car have been such a blessing and shopping this way allows me to be more aware of how much Iβm spending.
As far as cooking, well as long as I have the ingredients I donβt mind. I struggle often with coming up with ideas for meals though:/
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I donβt mind cooking, if I have all the ingredients but even with that, sometimes I just donβt FEEL like it ππ¨βπ³
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Lol I definitely get that!!
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So good to have crossed (cyber)paths with you. Looking forward to reading more about your journey with the Lord! Grateful π
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Yeah π thanks for stopping by π To our great and mighty God be all the glory π
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I enjoy cooking but I love baking more :)) I find the grocery store fun as it makes me feel good about searching for healthy meals! Blessings!
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π π I prefer eating over the cooking, but I do prefer my cooking, because I decide on the ingredients π I don’t mind baking, but I’m not very good at it
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I am thankful for learning! We’ll get there, Brenda! π Here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
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Thank you, in my hometown in the Caribbean we also celebrate thanksgiving in October π π God bless you my friend
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God bless you too. π β€
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Thanks, Brenda, for the reminder to focus on being grateful. I’ve started the practice of listing to God the things I’m thankful for at that moment–a house, a car, running water (and yes, hot running water), clothes, shoes, books, kitchen table, that I can appreciate the beauty of nature, for friends and fun things to do–it does make me more appreciative of what I have and I’m not focused on things I don’t have. I’m content, and my stress/anxiety level goes way down.
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Amen and amen ππ½ thatβs really the key to lowering the anxiety in our world, reminding ourselves of our many blessings. Truly we are blessed
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Nice share ma’am. Focusing on being grateful really works to shift one’s mind from one seemingly unpleasant. And realising God is good to us in it all helps us focus on the positive in it all.
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Amen and amen ππ½ when I remember that; how good He is, I find so many things for which to be thankful
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He is our blessing in life. ππ
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I don’t enjoy shopping of any kind. But if I must shop (and everyone must), I guess I’d say I prefer grocery shopping. However, I’ve been doing the grocery shopping for one of my daughters this past month after she had her baby, and that is much harder! Shopping for someone else adds another level of complexity to the task. π But still, we are SO blessed to have so many options here; I should never complain.
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πππ something we all need to remember, just the fact that we have family. Thank God for the time we have with them
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I am thankful for my new stove that my brother got me for my birthday. This year, I can invite my son and family over for Thanksgiving and Iβm thankful that I can actually cook a turkey. God is so good!
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Praise the Lord, Vickie. I know you are looking forward to preparing them thanksgiving meal π₯
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I enjoy them all — cooking, baking, shopping. But then so did my mom. Can you inherit such a thing? That weird, huh. Even though she is in an independent living place she still loves to look at cookbooks and visit grocery stores.
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Probably you can, my mom cooked because she had too, not because she especially liked itβ€οΈβ€οΈ But we both certainly enjoy shopping for clothes and shoes ππ
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Amen! When I find myself grumbling over cleaning toilets, mopping, cooking, etc. I am reminded I have a home, a family, food and I am so blessed. Thank you for the reminder β€οΈ God is so good
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Amen ππ½ I have to keep reminding myself of just that fact very often… thank God for new beginnings
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We have so much to be grateful for. It is something we need to always remember when comes a tendency to whine about some trivial everyday things.
Thankyou for this beautiful reminder to be thankful everyday and that we are indeed blessed.
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ππ itβs so easy at times, to be caught in what we are doing, that complains become too easy, but God is faithful. Everyday is an opportunity to do better, thank God
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I don’t mind shopping, but I’m burned out on cooking. I cook ALL THE TIME. Tonight I made something new, well same old ingredients, but I changed it up. Instead of cooking whole pork chops, I cut the meat off the bone and then cut it into strips. The kids were happy. I made a stir-fry out of it. But I try to remember , like you, to be thankful for the food and the kitchen and the family. π But, I didn’t realize that you work! What do you do? I guess I thought you were a SAHM.
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π after both girls went to college, I went back to work; I am the secretary at my church ππ praise the Lord. Like you, I do get tired of cooking sometimes, but just like you, when I change it up, it does become enjoyable
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ππ
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I never use a cart when I buy food because if I use a cart, I will be there too long.
I am thinking about writing a book on how to cook in a microwave haha
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That would be very helpful ππ I would even be interested for those days I do net want to cook
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What a beautiful reminder of gratitude! We live out of town and my husband commutes to work, so he usually does the shopping. But I don’t love making the list π .
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π π π I completely understand π Although I don’t mind making the list π Great is our God
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I never have a list lol π
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π That’s the way to go π.
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I have a mental list π
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I don’t mind grocery shopping π I enjoy doing it, for the most part. I also enjoy cooking, for the most part. I am grateful to have children who wash the dishes for us! I am very grateful for having the option to go grocery shopping. Even when I need to be very careful with our grocery budget, at least I have a budget! I am also VERY grateful for hot running water. We have had issues with our pump for varying lengths of time. It always helps to put LOTS of things into perspective for me and makes me that much more grateful when all is working again. I could keep listing things, but keep in mind that I have to be mindful of my thankfulness. Otherwise I can quickly become unsatisfied with everything around me. π Thankfulness is a daily practice! God Bless!
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yes π π the moment we start the cycle of being grateful and thankful, the list can become never ending π π As winter approaches, much faster than I like, I am indeed thankful for hot running water π I pray that your pump maintains itself
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Me too! π My dad did some work on it for us, so we are hopeful!
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I’ll pray π
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I was homeless at one time, and God provided all I needed for my son and me. God has brought me far from that. I am grateful for my husband who is very good at providing and protecting, and who also has a God-given gift in his eyes for seeing forward to our needs.
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praise the Lord, and indeed praise Him for His mercies π wow! what a testimony
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After my time as a missionary in the Philippines I always thank God when I step into the shower for hot, clean water accessible by just turning on the tab. And I thank God for the refrigerator that allows us to be able to shop for meat just once a month or every other week instead of going to the market daily to get meat. And for our grocery stores where we don’t have to cast away flies from our meat purchase.
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Now I am even more thankful for the groceries I buy π π Thanks for sharing Barbara, I need the reminder
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Amen! There is so much to be thankful for. The little things we take for granted means the world to another human somewhere.
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amen and Γ’me π That is indeed something I must always remember π Nothing in life should be taken for granted π
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Yes! π
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