A Thanksgiving Devotional

Thanksgiving. A wonderful day spent with family, friends, and food. Did I mention the food??? Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. With it brings memories of going to Grandma's house, cozying up on the couch with my family to watch football, and being so stuffed you could barely walk out to your car to leave. As I child, I never really understood and appreciated the point of Thanksgiving--to give thanks. As an young adult I never really understood what to be truly thankful for. Yes, there is the obvious stuff: family, good health, a roof over our heads, working vehicles (sort of ;), etc. Those are great things to be thankful for! Thanksgiving is a great time to stop, reflect, and appreciate all of life's blessings. But if we stop there, we are missing something. Not just something...EVERYTHING that counts!

This is the perfect day, the perfect time, the perfect opportunity to thank the One who has given us everything listed above and so much more. As a not-so-young adult who has put her faith in Christ, Thanksgiving has such a deeper meaning. I am thankful that He pursued me with such a Holy zeal, I couldn't turn to the left or the right without bumping into Him. I am thankful that, at the bottom of the pit, He reached His mighty yet gentle hand and took mine as He lifted me out. I am thankful that He showed me what life everlasting looked like and gave me the opportunity to choose it. I am thankful for His faithfulness and that His grace doesn't end at Salvation. He pours it out into every aspect of my life; as a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister and most importantly as His child. There is so much more to be thankful for. The list could go on and on but instead of filling this blog post with my stuff, I'll ask you what you are thankful for. What has He done for you? Who is He to you?

I'm sure there are many people out there who are struggling with those questions. Those who really aren't feeling that "thankful" today. Life can get treacherous. Those who are facing failing relationships, financial devastation, fading health, deepening depression, or fill you in the blank. I don't want to discount any of those things but I can tell you that you can still be thankful this Thanksgiving. It's about choices. Thankfulness isn't really a feeling but rather a choice; a decision you make not based on circumstance but hope, a resolution to find joy even through the sorrow. After all, that's what it is all about isn't it? Blog peeps, find that spark of light in the depth of darkness and hold on to it until it becomes a full out sunrise!

If you haven't experienced God's grace yet, there is no time like the present. What an awesome Thanksgiving memory to make. You will never be the same and you will never regret it. So, what are you waiting for???

Here are some verses that talk about being thankful:

1 Chronicles 16:8-12~ Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make know among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced.

Psalm 100:4~ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

1 Corinthians 15: 57~ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14~ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ...

1 Thessalonians 5: 16~ Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will  for you in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12: 28 & 29~ 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."