Gving Thanks

There are so many things to be thankful for, that as cliche as it sounds, every day should be a day of thanks.  I have been blessed with a wonderful, but not perfect family, and thankfully they have been blessed with the patience to put up with a not perfect me.  I have been blessed with many mentors in my life.  People who I look up to; people who inspire me to use my gifts and my resources to help others.  I have been blessed with good health, and a sound mind.  I have been blessed with provision and a safe place to call home.  I have been blessed with friends who laugh when I laugh and cry when I cry and make me realize that friendship is worth the effort you put in to it.  I have been blessed with memories of days that where spent with loved ones that are no longer here, and hope that I will be with them again some day. 

No greater love have I been blessed with, than knowing Jesus Christ as my savior.  He is the cornerstone on which my life is built.  I fail Him, but He always welcomes me back with arms of love and mercy.  The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. When I was a child my grandmother taught me a simple prayer and today seems a fitting day to recite it:

                                                Thank you for the world so sweet,
                                                Thank you for the food we eat,
                                                Thank you for the birds that sing,
                                                Thank you God for everything.

                                                             

True Thankfullness (keepin' it real y'all)

Well, another Thanksgiving is upon us and I'm not only contemplating the meal, but the season.  First Thanksgiving, then Black Friday shopping, then Christmas, then of course the New Year.  This year seems like a blur, to be honest; I can't believe that it has gone so fast. Of course, I'm thankful for life and health and family and the confidence I have in knowing that God is for me, but to be honest this year and even this Christmas season has brought challenges that have distracted me from just how much God loves me.


No Christmas bonus at work this year means that our Christmas money is no where near what we usually have to spend.  I haven't accomplished most of the goals I challenged myself with this year and many of the prayers I have longingly prayed have still been answered with silence or wait.  Waiting...not my favorite thing to do.  Yesterday I found myself feeling a little sorry for my predicament, then one simple picture brought me back to me senses.

                                                                        

This picture was in my Facebook news feed.  A couple from my church has given up houses and cars and incomes to go to Kenya to serve people who truly face some of life's most difficult circumstances.  Those who are broken and hurting, those who are poor and sick, those who are hungry physically and spiritually.  As I starred at this picture I wept with conviction.  Smiling faces, hands raised high, giving praise to the Lord God Almighty.  I am so thankful for this picture and for Greg and Sherri Howard and their love for God and His precious people.  How can I focus on myself, when I see this beautiful picture of worship that is undoubtedly offered in spirit and in truth, just what our Father is seeking.

The truth is that serving God is not about things or even answered prayers, it is about knowing who I am and trusting God to supply what I need and to work things for my good. The truth is that I AM BLESSED! Lord, help me to walk in thankfulness every day, and to keep my eyes on you!

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. Psalm 26:3

                                                                           

Why did we lose the election?

Well, the election is over and I have to say that the outcome has been a bummer.  It's not so much that Romney lost, I didn't even think that he was great candidate.  It's not so much that Obama won, though I think he is not good for our country.  It's because of the way I have heard people talk before, during and after this election. 

Before, there were endless posts that were at times, well...ridiculous.  People posting crazy things on facebook in an attempt to sway people not to vote for Obama.  Then election day came and I was caught a little off guard by some of my friends and family.  My son, who is a very analytical thinker, could not in good conscience vote for either of the candidates, even though he knew that a third party vote would basically help Obama.  Friends who flat refused to vote because the couldn't support either candidate, and family members who acted as though you would be excommunicated from the family if you didn't agree with them.  Then after the election, the depressing and angry posts on facebook were enough to ruin my day.  To be honest, I still don't feel back to normal.

Sooo many scriptures went through my head today, like the Lord is a shield around me, my glory and the lifter of my head.  Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  The blessings of the Lord makes me rich and adds no sorrow.  These words along with a song that I listened to several times, have kept me from feeling too depressed. Then to add to my very blue feeling today, I started thinking about my mom. 

My mom went in to the hospital for the last time a few weeks after the 08 election.  The stock market was crashing, the banks were failing and the stimulus package was being hotly debated on TV.  She loved a good political debate and due to her very limited physical ability at that point, she had been glued to the TV through it all watching all of the breaking news.  As she lay in her dying bed, she rarely spoke as she simply had no air in her lungs to spare, but one evening she looked up at me and said "why did we lose the election?"  It broke my heart to think that in her weak state, she was still worrying about our country.  I very quickly told her that the election didn't matter and that God would take care of us no matter who was president.  I believed it then, and I believe it now.  God always comforts and provides for His people. His name is a strong tower that the righteous run in to and they are saved.

I pray that our nation heals from the bitter divide we have created with our political rhetoric.  I pray that our president is visited in his dreams and is overtaken in his waking hours by the spirit of the living God calling him to lead with honesty and to follow Jesus.  I pray that as we try to pick up the pieces, we become a nation of God chasers.  Lord, have your way in this country and lead your people in the way everlasting.