All week Thanksgiving has been prominent in my mind
and heart.
1. Give
thanks to the Lord.
Faith. Family. Friends. The whole
week has been living life in gratitude. My faith is fortifying. My family is Christ-bound
in love. My friends are my anchor . . . God’s support group for me. I’m so
thankful my husband and I will be going to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with
my oldest daughter and her family. I’m so thankful that our oldest
granddaughter wants to take us to see her college of choice, CSU. I will miss my other two daughters and their
families, but so thankful they have wonderful Thanksgiving plans in place.
2. Proclaim
God’s greatness.
“Through us spreads the fragrance of
the knowledge of Him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV) I love this verse. I
try hard to remember to smile and speak Christ’s name to everyone I meet. “God
bless you.” “God loves you!” “God is greater than anything you are going through.”
These are great and small things we can always do! People need to hear the good
news . . . the Truth that does not alter. Proclaim the richness of knowing
Christ.
3. Let
the whole world know what He has done.
As a writer, I get to share Jesus and
His mighty works constantly. I have a card ministry where I share God’s love,
grace, and mercy. God nudges me to call people, and I’m always amazed when they
say, “I needed this call!” Or sending quick texts to do a Jesus-shout-out to
friends, family, and acquaintances. I’ve even done this on Facebook with “friends”
I barely know that are relatives of relatives, friends of friends. When their
post-feeds come through mine and they are asking for prayer, I take it
seriously. It’s a small thing to do for Jesus when he does so much for me.
Those are the big things I’m grateful for. But this
week gave me a new sense of gratitude. Dash-moments of thanksgiving in the
middle of real-everyday-life situations.
1 While
sitting at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), I had a woman come up and hug me. She
was a total stranger amid hundreds of women, and she chose me to hug. She said,
“God asked me to tell you how much you mean to Him.” I desperately needed that message.
Before BSF I had been at the chiropractor’s office with back pain. Seeing my
distress, the doctor adjusted my back, taped it up, and handed me pain meds. I
left in tears, knowing I had to get on an airplane in two days and wondered how
in the world I was going to accomplish it. God sent that sweet woman at BSF to
give me God’s hug and let me know He had it all worked out. Praise God!
“In
everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.” 1
Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
2. In
the middle of listening to Matthew West’s song “Mended,” I received a call from
a friend. Her daughter’s husband asked for a divorce. My heart broke with my
friend’s. The words from West’s song rang in my heart. “When you see broken beyond
repair, I see healing beyond belief. When you see too far gone, I see one step
away from home.” A dash moment of thanksgiving, offering a hurting heart a
healing message.
“My
grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
3. Seeing
the perfect gift for my sister-in-law and buying it, knowing it will cause her
heart to rejoice, just as mine was doing holding it. She’s been going through
some disruptive moments. Praying over the gift and asking God to use it as a
token of His love and a reminder that He is always with her, providing the
support she needs.
“Having
a grateful heart keeps our minds focused on the Lord.”
Dash-moments of thanksgiving, those spur of the moment
happenings, occur every day. As I’m growing in my faith, God’s growing my
ministry to touch others for Him. It’s nice being a vessel for my Savior. Thanksgiving
can be expressed in a variety of ways. And the spirit of thanksgiving is a
result of remembering all that God has done for us. Heartfelt daily
thanksgiving has a powerful impact on us and everyone we come in contact with.
Faith leads to hope. Hope leads to joy and peace. Joy
and peace lead to gratitude.
“Gratitude to God not only honors Him, but it is good
for us.” Psalm 92:1
“Gratitude honors God.” Psalm 50:23
A life of gratitude starts today. Begin a thanksgiving
list and start writing down the things you are thankful for. Look back over it
periodically to add more things God has revealed to you. Over time your
thanksgiving list will be a remembrance memorial of all the things God has
shared with you or shown you.
J. Ellsworth Kalas states, “My place on Gratitude
Street depends on constant awareness. So each morning . . . I list the three or
four matters from the previous day for which I am grateful.”
Kalas lived on Gratitude Street. Can you believe that?
But we can also live on gratitude street as we live a life filled with thanksgiving.
“May
you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.” Colossians 1:1-12 NLT
Have a beautiful Thanksgiving. Let gratitude pour out
of you as you proclaim God’s goodness,
Angela
You are God's gift to me and I thank Him with all my heart! Have a safe trip and wonderful Thanksgiving with your family! ♡
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