“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord
Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers;”
(Ephesians 1:15-16 KJV)
Note: This is a revised post from November 2015 and
2016. After an absence of a few
weeks, I thought I should let my readers know that I am still alive.
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It is currently Thanksgiving Day in the United States—a day
where some people gather to enjoy each other, eat a lot of food, and for
some—watch football games. However, not
everyone has this type of story. In
fact, it is a difficult season for many; please pray for those who do not have
family or friends to fellowship with during this season, as well as those who
have challenging relationships with family members.
During my graduate school years, I presented a variety of
programs in my residence hall and at the Wesley Foundation, one of my favorite
programs to present on was the topic of thankfulness—at one point I had several
versions. I attempted to present this
program around Thanksgiving or shortly before finals—a very busy and stressful
time for students! A time when it is
hard to be thankful! However, I did not
do this during finals week, none of us had time for programs of any type (other
that “de-stress” programs, such as cuddling a puppy or kitty!).
The programs were not elaborate or even all that time
consuming; they were focused on being thankful (thinking about things, places,
and people we were thankful for). Due to
the hectic and stressful nature of being a college student it was easy to lose
focus on what really mattered and to be thankful for the important things and
people (no matter how small) in life.
Even those of us who are not students can lose focus on what really
matters; therefore, it is a good idea to mindfully practice thanksgiving each
day.
Life continues to be hectic, even after college and graduate
school; it is so easy to get distracted by unimportant things and lose sight of
what—and especially—who really matters.
For many of us, we are blessed beyond measure and have so much more than
most of the world, yet it is easy to forget that in the workaday world.
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Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him,
and bless his name.
(Psalm 100:4
KJV)
Those of us, who have Jesus as Savior and Lord, should be
among the most thankful people in the world.
In Jesus, we have been forgiven of our sins and have a multitude of
blessings. Yet, sometimes, we forget
just how much the Lord has given us and has done for us.
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will
call upon the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:17 KJV)
Consider taking some time during this busy holiday season
(and every day of the year) to reflect on what and who you are thankful for—you
may even want to let people who you are thankful for know it!
Have fun with it! I
imagine that your perspective on life will change, if you are persistent about
doing this.
Try listing at least three things you are thankful for each
day until the end of the year. It is
fine to be thankful for the simplest of things in your life. Then read back through them and rejoice. In 2015 I wrote down three things each day
that I was thankful for; this year I have been writing down at least five I am
thankful for each day (and some times more).
It is an interesting exercise.
What are you thankful for today?
Please join with me in prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the things and
people in our lives. In Your Word we
learn that we are to be thankful in
all things but not for all
things. Help us to change our
perspective so that we realize just
how much we do have to be thankful for; we have so much in abundance compared
to many places throughout the world.
Remind us that all we have is from You.
Help us to remember to count our blessings daily and particularly when
we are busy or under a lot of stress. In
our busy lives remind us to not take people or You for granted; encourage us to
place others ahead of ourselves, serving them in the name of Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
Dear
Readers, I would like to wish you and your families a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy and celebrate all of God’s richest
blessings during this season of thanks.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
Kim, keeping what I call a Gratitude Attitude journal truly puts our many blessings into perspective. Ironically, while at my mother's for the holiday, I failed to write down the things I was thankful for each day. However, I still verbally thanked the Lord for all His gifts, even when enduring the pain in my shoulder I told you about. It so improves one's spirit and outlook.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, I'm thankful you're keeping a gratitude journal! It's so easy to forget to do something like that when we're busy. Why not go back and write down those blessings even now? Yes, there are so many benefits to being thankful--to our health--physical, spiritual, and emotional.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hi Kim! Nice to see you here!
ReplyDeleteIt's never enough to be thankful day to day. Just having the ability to breathe clearly is such a gift. I just got over a huge cold/flu and let me tell you, it's a gift to feel better!
I hope you are having a great weekend, full of thanks for your gifts and I know that I am thankful that you share what you believe with us.
Blessings,
ceil
Hi Ceil! Thank you, it's nice to see you here too! You're spot on in being thankful about breathing clearly; I'd also add being able to walk and use all four limbs. I'm thankful to have the ability to share my faith in this way (and in other ways too). I'm also thankful for those, like you, who take the time to comment.
DeleteBlessings,
Kim
Hi Kim...I didn't get around to reading this until after Thanksgiving...last week was pretty hectic for me...but so much to be thankful for. Thank you for these thoughts and reminders to be thankful. Now we enter the Advent season, and prepare our hearts for the Advent of our Lord and all that means to us as believers...we now look forward to His second Advent, and pray it will be soon! But in the meantime we share His love with everyone we can and help prepare the way for His return. God bless you dear friend. Praying you will have a blessed Advent and Christmas season.
ReplyDeletePam, I'm thankful that you stopped by, read, and commented--Thanksgiving was busy for you. Reminders to be thankful do seem to be necessary in this world we inhabit. Ahh, yes, time to prepare for Advent--looking forward to when Jesus returns. Thank you for your prayers for me during the Advent and Christmas season.
DeleteGod's blessings to you, as well, dear friend.