Thanksgiving is a holiday where America stops and eats lots of food and expresses what they are thankful for. I personally enjoy this holiday because I get to spend time with family and eat great food that I may not get every day.
However, Thanksgiving also makes me realize that this one day out of the year should not be the only time I express what I am thankful for. There is so much that I am thankful for that I should be thanking God every day for all that I have.
In my Jesus Calling devotional for November 27th it read:
“Let thankfulness rule in your heart. As you thank Me for blessings in your life, a marvelous thing happens. It is as if scales fall off your eyes, enabling you to see more and more of My glorious riches. With your eyes thus opened, you can help yourself to whatever you need from My treasure house. Each time you receive one of My golden gifts, let your thankfulness sing out praises to My name. ‘Hallelujahs’ are the language of heaven, and they can become the language of your heart. A life of praise and thankfulness becomes a life filled with miracles. Instead of trying to be in control, you focus on Me and what I am doing. This is the power of praise: centering your entire being in Me. This is how I created you to live, for I made you in My own image. Enjoy abundant life by overflowing with praise and thankfulness.”
I found this to be very challenging. There is so much in my day that I can thank God for. The fact that I wake up in the morning is something to be thankful for. The fact that I can sleep in a warm bed every night, brush my teeth, have access to running water, and get food whenever I want to is definitely something to be thankful for. I want to let thankfulness rule in my heart. I want to give thanks every day and not just one day out of the year.
I challenge you to do the same; I think it will change your perspective and will give you a whole new appreciation for what you are blessed with each day.
I also realized that this time next year I will be in Vietnam! So crazy but so exciting as well. I am so thankful for all of you and for your support and ask for your continued prayer as this journey continues. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
~Psalm 100:4-5
