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"Thanking" Outside of the Box

Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning I tried to think of some things I am thankful for, yet fail to recognize – things I take for granted. I thought about things I'm grateful for besides the obvious blessings. A little "thanking" outside of the box - pardon my bad pun.

So, besides Jesus Christ and my salvation, my husband and wonderful family, my church, health, job and home (sorry, just couldn’t NOT list those!), here are things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving day.

The conveniences of modern life. Not to be cliché, but we take many things for granted that make our lives so much easier – gas stations, washing machines, even entities like the U.S. Postal Service. How wild is it that we can drop off a card in a box somewhere and have complete confidence that it will reach a specific destination across the world? All of these things save me hours, labor and worry, and I am grateful for them.

The ability to have memories. I am thankful for the mental pictures, sound bites and feelings I have stored away from different chapters of my life.

The opportunity to have traveled places and been exposed to other ways of life. Seeing needs elsewhere has helped me put my own in perspective and deepened my understanding of God, His grace and His sovereignty.

The fact that I am a woman, yet live in a place where I am legally equal to men. I don’t have to be covered in fabric from head to toe or stay inside all day. I have choices available to me in all areas of life, from my career to my family.

A husband who complements me so well. Not only did God give me a husband I love, but he gave me a husband who is a great partner for me and whose needs and gifts align with my own extremely well - our differing strengths and weaknesses make us great complements to one another.

Grace. Period. I am grateful for the forgiveness of God and others. I am thankful that God keeps no record of wrongs, and I am grateful that He calls us not to either. I would be in deep trouble with God, my family and friends if their love depended on my behavior alone.

I pray that this Thanksgiving, God fills you with awe of Him and gratefulness by reminding you of all of the many reasons you have to be thankful. I also pray that we will be intentional in expressing our thankfulness to God daily, – not just on Thanksgiving - realizing that He is the source of all good things.

“ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-8

Comments

  1. Steve JacksonNovember 27, 2009 at 12:26 AM

    Another awesome blog Leigh - I love you so much and am so thankful for YOU! -

    ReplyDelete

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