Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Family, friends and material things are the usual items we hear. Thankful for our country and the freedoms that we have are not far behind on our list. These are all wonderful things to be thankful for, but let’s dig a little deeper.

Are you thankful for your “problems” and the “challenges” that are in your life? May I be bold enough to ask you to be appreciative of these items also? Having problems and challenges means you have options and choices. You have the ability to look at these issues with a variety of opinions and choices.

Here are some synonyms for “thankful”:

• Contented
• Grateful
• Indebted
• Overwhelmed
• Pleased
• Relieved
• Satisfied
• Beholden
• Gratified
• Much obliged 

I’ve never thought of being overwhelmed or indebted as thankful. Normally when I am overwhelmed it is because I have so many choices or because I have so much to do. When I put it that way I should be thankful. I love the words, beholden and much obliged. I guess if I am beholden to someone that means I am thankful to them for something they did for me.

Let’s go deeper and see what God has to say.

Romans 1:21
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Have I become futile in my thoughts? Is my heart thinking foolish thoughts and being discontent? I hope not, but I am human and it happens sometimes.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.



This Thanksgiving I am going to make a special effort to be more thankful for everything, my family, friends and challenges.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy New Year

Yes it is that time of year again. Funny how it rolls around every 365 days or so J Time for a fresh beginning and setting new goals.

 Are you one of those people who set yourself goals in the beginning of the year?  I am. My husband normally does not enjoy setting goals, but he surprised me this year and had his already written down, mine were simply in my head. 

When I started listing them we realized that several of them were the same for each of us. Now we have our own personal goals and those that are “our” goals as a couple. What surprised me was that several of them were the same for the last couple of years. At first I thought, wow we didn’t reach our goals because they are still on the list. Then I took a second to think about it and came up with a different view. Maybe we did meet our goals and are taking them one step further. If my goal is to read my Bible more, did I do that this past year? The answer could be yes, but now I want to study it more. Or maybe I want to study a particular area or subject in the Bible more. Either way just because your goal shows up year after year does not mean you did not achieve it.

 Now in saying that, there are those silly nagging goals that you put on your list, like to lose weight. Well by the scale and my close I can tell that did not happen, if fact it went the other way. L However, I did live to survive another year so I still have a chance to accomplish that particular goal.

          

Even more than that I want to focus on how wonderful last year was for me and my family. Yes there were difficult times, financial difficulties, loved ones lost, plans that fell through because of this or that, but all in all God blessed us with another year of memories and time spent with family and friends. The love that surrounds me is phenomenal.

This year’s resolutions are the same as many of you eat healthier, exercise more and love more. This year I am adding one more to the list – appreciate the little things more.

What are some of your goals this year? I hope you will take a few moments and share them with me.

May God Bless!

Seek God Today

After attending a funeral, I think everyone takes a moment and reflects on their life and the comments that may be said about them when they leave this world behind. This beautiful Christian woman that left the earth last week was everything that I want to be. Would it be wrong to say, "I wish she were my mother"? I don't feel that I am being disrespectful of my mother in saying that. Mrs Marlow was soft, meek, humble, soothing, radiant, giving, submissive and comforting in every way. Her family laid her to rest Saturday in the most graceful way a family can after losing a loved one.

Now I am home and life goes on. However, I will try harder on being more compassionate, humble, meek, giving, submissive and radiant. Not so people will say these things about me when I am gone, but so I can touch those around me while I am here. So I can be an example and lift their spirits in hope and love. Show those around me that there is so much good in this world.

Life is good and we are blessed by our Heavenly Father. He wants us to continually seek Him out and enjoy the life we have here on earth. He gives us all that we have and all that we need. Seek happiness and God today.

God Delights in you!

Today's Verse

From the New Living Translation

"For the LORD delights in his people;
  he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
  Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds."

Psalm 149:4–5

Encouragement for Today

Do you feel in your heart that God delights in you? This passage says that God actually enjoys who you are. He is thrilled with you as one of his people—especially as you trust in him humbly. That just makes God want to crown you with all kinds of honor and victory. Can you let this honor become a cause for rejoicing, even as you lie down for the night? Sweet sleep can come with this kind of meditation.

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Thanksgiving

This is the time of year that friends and family gather together to share their love, good food, and the things that they are thankful for in their lives.  So I thought I would take this time and space to tell you the things that I am thankful for.

            I am thankful that I had a failed marriage, without those hard times I would not have found God.  

            I am thankful that I had two wonderful daughters that have grown into beautiful Christian woman and have given me beautiful grandchildren.

           I am thankful that for the last 36 years that God has been the leader in my life.       

           I am glad I had good parents who did the best they could for me with what they had.  They taught me how to be polite and the morally right and wrong things to do.         

          I am thankful that I had a wonderful church family that helped support my children and I during those years when I had a hard time handling it as a single parent.  When I thought there was no reason for me to be in worship service because the girls were wiggling or crying and I was not able to get anything out of the lesson, someone would reach over and hug me or take one of the girls out for a break.

          I am thankful for the people who listened to me when I was trying to make a decision in life and didn’t have a spouse to discuss it with. 

          I am thankful for the women who taught (mentored) me by example not by criticizing me. 

          I am thankful God stayed with me and never turned His back on me.  

          I am thankful God brought me to SC or I never would have met Doug.  

          I am thankful that God has been here for me through my surgeries and my cancer diagnosis. 

          I am thankful for where I am right now in my life, although sometimes life gets hard, I know that He is with me always and I can face anything that comes my way.

What are you thankful for?