As I sit here contemplating how quickly the year has gone by, and how fast we are approaching Thanksgiving Day this week, I have to take a moment to pause and reflect.
My overall sense of the year is feeling a deep gratitude.
So many things have taken place. Some good. Some not so good. And some, that have left me scratching my head, and yet my heart is feeling peace and gratitude.
I don’t know what your year has been like, but I’d like to encourage you with a few verses:
1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
Psalm 105:1 Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done
Hebrews 13:5b: Because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’
Psalm 98:1: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I know sometimes we look around and wonder what we have to be grateful for. If this is your challenge, I’m asking you to start being intentional with noticing around you. Write down one thing you can be grateful for. Put it in a place where you can see it and be reminded, and each day, find one more item to add to the list.
My one thing this morning, is being able to sit in a space of complete quiet, tucked under my blanket in a warm and joyful home.
What is your one thing? Write it down, and maybe add the date to it so that when you look back, you can recall the sense of gratitude you felt on that date.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for meeting us in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Thank you for your never ending love. Thank you that no matter what our situation looks like, that when we start counting the things we are grateful for, the list may never end.