This week we are setting aside a day to be grateful; to pause and reflect on the blessings the Lord has gifted to us.
The pausing part is the important part because we become so hectic, so busy, and so chaotic at times, that it is easy for those gifts to slip past us in the silence of our schedule. The small things that the Lord has extended to us with such love: perfectly packaged, intentionally prepared, beautifully given, and we often do not see them in the rush of our feet.
Our minds are divided, and it very often cannot be helped.
We are mothers and fathers, spouses, grandparents, employees, siblings, humans in this rush of life doing the things placed before us and trying to do them well.
But every day the Lord gives us quiet gifts.
These are the gifts seen but not acknowledged, heard but not felt. The gift of a sunrise, sharing laughter with a friend, the blessing of paying for groceries and having a cupboard with food stored in it. Waking up healthy, driving to church with gas in the tank…it is vital that we pause and fully acknowledge how wonderous it is to have those things.
“The world is not lacking in wonders, merely in a sense of wonder.”
One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful...we let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to His goodness it becomes a routine...
This Thanksgiving make a commitment to the Lord to recognize and see His multitude of blessings. To shift a heart that may lean toward complaining, or seeing the difficult things, or focus on the hardship and the negative. There is a reason scripture admonishes us “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Phil. 4:8
Intentionally turn your hearts to the blessings in your life, and then turn that recognition into verbal praise to the Lord. Say out loud “thank you” to your Father who gives you good gifts every single day.
Let it be a whisper while you are swiping your debit card.
Let it be exclaimed when a loved one returns home safe.
Let it be a song in your heart as you eat your Thanksgiving meal and enjoy the delights of delicious food surrounded by those dear to your heart.
One thing is certain: when you begin listing your blessings out loud and thanking the Lord for them, it naturally becomes worship. You can’t help but worship the Lord as you recognize His goodness.
If you find yourself feeling low this holiday, or struggling with the pressure of life, the expectations and demands, all which are very normal, then begin listing the gifts that you do have. Your heart will begin to take a fledgling breath of gratitude, and then the more you recognize and list aloud, the more your heart will take a big gulp of joy.
It is the Lord’s recipe for lifting your head and seeing beyond yourself.
"Thanksgiving with the Mouth Stirs Up Thankfulness in the Heart."
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.
Even the difficult things in life are used as a blessing in our lives, for “Every once in a while, God allows you to stub your toe as a kind reminder to be grateful for the miraculous body attached to it.”
May you be overwhelmed with blessings this Thanksgiving.
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