Thankfulness and Thanksgiving

At this time of year, everyone has his or her minds on thankfulness.  As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, it would be quite easy for me to rattle off the many good things that make me thankful.  However, it was brought to my attention at Bible study, that God says we should be thankful in all things.  One of my favorite chapters of the Bible Philippians 4 also discusses being thankful.

Philippians 4: 4-7

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

While there are a ton of things these verse are talking about and I believe I have covered some of them before, my take home today is in ALWAYS and EVERY situation we should be thankful. It occurred to me that I should come up with a few things that are not so easy to be thankful for, and take the time to thank God, for them as well.  So, here goes…..

First:

God, I am thankful for my diabetes.  I have said this before, but I am thankful that God gave me diabetes for a couple of reasons.  The first reason being no one and I, mean NO ONE else in my family could have taken the tests that diabetes has given me.  I firmly believe that this is one of those situations when the saying applies: God never gives you more than you can handle.  He selected me because despite my ups and downs, PUN INTENDED, I have this because I have HIM.  The second reason I am thankful for having diabetes is because, I believe it makes me a kinder and more understanding person.  I can have empathy for others who are struggling with their health. I know what it is like when you just do not feel good; there is nothing you can do about it, it just has to pass.

Second:

God, I am thankful for loss.  There are many times in life when I have had loss.  Maybe it was loss of a loved one, a broken friendship, or an opportunity.  Each and every time I experience a loss there is always a moment in which I see that it was a blessing in disguise.  While I might mourn for someone who has passed and long to share more moments, I think the Lord in His perfect timing has saved a life from suffering.  Or maybe the loss of an opportunity has me feeling like a failure, but I am thankful that God closes the doors that need closing.  Loss is maybe the thing to be most thankful for….

Third:

God, I am thankful for housework. If you read my blog than you know, housework is like my mortal enemy.  You realize how much I dislike making my bed and mopping floors.  It is the season of thanksgiving so I am thankful to have a bed to make.  I am thankful to have a house to clean.  I am thankful that my floors need mopping and are not made of mud.  I am thankful that of all the things I could be complaining about, this is a “good” complaint to have!  Lord, I am blessed in my life and in this moment, I am truly thankful for housework.

This thanksgiving, I pray that when you join your family to spend time and share meals, that you will take time to thank God for all the many good and bad blessings in your lives.  To each of you God bless you and have a wonderful and truly THANKFUL, thanksgiving.

This is my thankful mindset, now let me hear yours!