Today is the day that we are supposed to pause and reflect on all that we are thankful for. Unfortunately, when my feet hit the floor this morning, I didn't pause to reflect. I immediately started thinking about getting the turkey in the oven and making all the yummy food my family will eat in a few hours. I should have started my day with a prayer of thanksgiving.
One thought I have is. . . are we only thankful for the good things in our lives? Of course we are thankful for our spouses, children and family members, our jobs, our homes and our things. That's a given! But. . . are we thankful for the hard times that come unexpectedly? Are we thankful for the loss of a job, because although it's horribly stressful, it brings families together and forces us to put our faith into action? We have to rely on the Lord to "Give us this day our daily bread". Are we thankful for illness that stikes in devastating ways? Or the loss of a loved one? Or the war that our country is in? Or (and this a big one for me) our President?
Difficult times of trial or testing do just that. . . they test our faith. Do we just talk about our faith or do we live it? Trials and tests make our faith practical. WE have to seek the Lord's will and put our own aside, because He has a plan when ours so often fails. We have to humble ourselves to the lessons that He wants us to learn. It's those lessons that make us better people. It's those lessons that truly make us a "child" of God. We have to sit at His feet and glean from Him His wisdom.
It's easy to reflect on all the warm fuzzy feelings we've had over the year, but I challenge you (and myself) to be thankful for the difficult. The pain. The tears and the troubles. AND. . . (this is big!) be thankful for them throughout the year. Each day thank God for the trials, because they one day will be blessings.
I wish each and every one of you a very BLESSED Thanksgiving! I hope it's a day that you can spend with the ones you love making the most amazing memories.
May God Richly Bless You!
1 comment:
You are so right...it makes you stronger! TFS!
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