I was up early this morning preparing our turkey for our Thanksgiving feast and then decided to lay back down for a bit. I tossed and turned and began to make a list of what I could thank the Lord for this year, on this day of Thanksgiving. This is what I want to say "thanks God" for...
~ A son who served in Afghanistan and came home alive. While there were many nights of tears and terror, we survived. We are so proud of his service to his country and out of his service our understanding grew as to how much families endure and sacrifice. Our appreciation for our military increased immensely. Our faith and our prayers also increased as we saw God's faithfulness and goodness, no matter what.
~ My marriage. I am so very thankful that I am married to a man of God. He is devoted to the Lord and loves His Word. He loves me unconditionally and we have fun together. I once was very selfish in our marriage, only thinking about my needs. The Lord helped me understand I needed to look beyond myself, and what I wanted, and look at ways that I could bless the man I married.
~ My children. We have truly been blessed with three incredible kids. All very thoughtful and caring, each one with gifts and talents unique to them. They each have found a mate that suits them perfectly and by God's design they fit into our family perfectly. We laugh together and even have our moments when the boat gets a little rocky and tempers flair, but, we always manage to make the repairs and move on. I love who our little babies have become.
~ My grandson. Who knew that grandparenting could be so fun? I am thankful that Pat and I have the opportunity to pour our love into grandchildren. I am thankful that the Lord had blessed us with Mason. I pray we have many more grandbabies to cherish and love on.
~ My family. I realized this morning how fortunate Pat and I are that we have our parents to enjoy life with. We also have great extended families that we enjoy spending time with whenever we can. I am thankful for the laughter and fun we have when we get together.
~ My friendships. I have had some true treasures in my life, that is for sure! I am very thankful for each gem I can count on to be there no matter what. I have also been hurt by a few friends and today I understood how thankful I can be for those hurtful and hard times. It was out of the hurt that I discovered truth about areas I needed to change. I also understand now that God brings people in and out of our lives for a different season and purpose.
~ My "job". If you can call hanging out with some of the cutest, smartest, silliest kids a job. I am very thankful the Lord chose me to watch over the Bigelow kids, the Carpenter's little princess, and all the wee ones that I have had the opportunity to take care of. I love my job. I love the fun we have together, the memories we make and relationship we have with one another.
~ Facebook. This may seem silly but I love the connection made with old friends, classmates and family members through this social network site. I am thankful for new relationships with cousins and the opportunity to chat and get to know one another in a new, deeper friendship.
~ My Health. Even though I am growing older and the body creeks and moans, I am healthy. I praise the Lord for that. I have lost friends to cancer and other diseases. I see suffering and it breaks my heart. I will thank the Lord everyday for how healthy Pat and I are and I will appreciate and take care of myself.
~ My Church. I am thankful for a Pastor who teaches the Word of God and holds nothing back. I love that he studies and prepares and is so incredibly gifted in his knowledge of the Word. I am thankful the Lord led us to ALCC at a time when He knew we needed healing and I needed redirection. I am thankful for the instruction and teaching we have had.
~My Salvation. I am thankful that God drew me to Him. I am thankful that He reveals Himself to me and that my hope is in Him. I am thankful that even when life is hard and plans don't go according to how I believe they should, God is Good. All the time, no matter what. I am thankful for the peace I have knowing that if I were to leave this earth today, I would meet Jesus, face to face. I thought about this the other day when I realized that a man we love will soon be leaving his earthly suit to enter into the Lord's Kingdom. What would it be like to finally meet Jesus, the Man we have studied about, read about, even argued over? What a moment that must be.
Well, these are just a few of the thoughts I have on Thanksgiving Day, 2012. Our feast has been consumed, the football game is on. We will have all our kids around tomorrow and on Saturday we will share another Thanksgiving together. It will be a miracle if I don't gain 10 pounds over this weekend. Oh well, I will endure the pain of it for my kids. Pastor Joe Coudriet wrote this on his Facebook page and I loved it so much I want to share it with you, "'Psalm 100:4 (KJV) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.' The Hebrew word for "thanksgiving" in this passage is Towdah, meaning-confession, praise, thanksgiving, give praise to God. The word "thankful" later in the passage is the word Yadah which means to throw, shoot or cast. This Thanksgiving, confess your thankfulness to God and take the time to shoot the praise, He deserves, at HIM!"
He deserves all my praise and I am shooting it at Him!! What are your praises today? Take some time and shoot some praise at Him. He not only deserves it but He also delights in the praises of His people. Happy Thanksgiving!!
~ A son who served in Afghanistan and came home alive. While there were many nights of tears and terror, we survived. We are so proud of his service to his country and out of his service our understanding grew as to how much families endure and sacrifice. Our appreciation for our military increased immensely. Our faith and our prayers also increased as we saw God's faithfulness and goodness, no matter what.
~ My marriage. I am so very thankful that I am married to a man of God. He is devoted to the Lord and loves His Word. He loves me unconditionally and we have fun together. I once was very selfish in our marriage, only thinking about my needs. The Lord helped me understand I needed to look beyond myself, and what I wanted, and look at ways that I could bless the man I married.
~ My children. We have truly been blessed with three incredible kids. All very thoughtful and caring, each one with gifts and talents unique to them. They each have found a mate that suits them perfectly and by God's design they fit into our family perfectly. We laugh together and even have our moments when the boat gets a little rocky and tempers flair, but, we always manage to make the repairs and move on. I love who our little babies have become.
~ My grandson. Who knew that grandparenting could be so fun? I am thankful that Pat and I have the opportunity to pour our love into grandchildren. I am thankful that the Lord had blessed us with Mason. I pray we have many more grandbabies to cherish and love on.
~ My family. I realized this morning how fortunate Pat and I are that we have our parents to enjoy life with. We also have great extended families that we enjoy spending time with whenever we can. I am thankful for the laughter and fun we have when we get together.
~ My friendships. I have had some true treasures in my life, that is for sure! I am very thankful for each gem I can count on to be there no matter what. I have also been hurt by a few friends and today I understood how thankful I can be for those hurtful and hard times. It was out of the hurt that I discovered truth about areas I needed to change. I also understand now that God brings people in and out of our lives for a different season and purpose.
~ My "job". If you can call hanging out with some of the cutest, smartest, silliest kids a job. I am very thankful the Lord chose me to watch over the Bigelow kids, the Carpenter's little princess, and all the wee ones that I have had the opportunity to take care of. I love my job. I love the fun we have together, the memories we make and relationship we have with one another.
~ Facebook. This may seem silly but I love the connection made with old friends, classmates and family members through this social network site. I am thankful for new relationships with cousins and the opportunity to chat and get to know one another in a new, deeper friendship.
~ My Health. Even though I am growing older and the body creeks and moans, I am healthy. I praise the Lord for that. I have lost friends to cancer and other diseases. I see suffering and it breaks my heart. I will thank the Lord everyday for how healthy Pat and I are and I will appreciate and take care of myself.
~ My Church. I am thankful for a Pastor who teaches the Word of God and holds nothing back. I love that he studies and prepares and is so incredibly gifted in his knowledge of the Word. I am thankful the Lord led us to ALCC at a time when He knew we needed healing and I needed redirection. I am thankful for the instruction and teaching we have had.
~My Salvation. I am thankful that God drew me to Him. I am thankful that He reveals Himself to me and that my hope is in Him. I am thankful that even when life is hard and plans don't go according to how I believe they should, God is Good. All the time, no matter what. I am thankful for the peace I have knowing that if I were to leave this earth today, I would meet Jesus, face to face. I thought about this the other day when I realized that a man we love will soon be leaving his earthly suit to enter into the Lord's Kingdom. What would it be like to finally meet Jesus, the Man we have studied about, read about, even argued over? What a moment that must be.
Well, these are just a few of the thoughts I have on Thanksgiving Day, 2012. Our feast has been consumed, the football game is on. We will have all our kids around tomorrow and on Saturday we will share another Thanksgiving together. It will be a miracle if I don't gain 10 pounds over this weekend. Oh well, I will endure the pain of it for my kids. Pastor Joe Coudriet wrote this on his Facebook page and I loved it so much I want to share it with you, "'Psalm 100:4 (KJV) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.' The Hebrew word for "thanksgiving" in this passage is Towdah, meaning-confession, praise, thanksgiving, give praise to God. The word "thankful" later in the passage is the word Yadah which means to throw, shoot or cast. This Thanksgiving, confess your thankfulness to God and take the time to shoot the praise, He deserves, at HIM!"
He deserves all my praise and I am shooting it at Him!! What are your praises today? Take some time and shoot some praise at Him. He not only deserves it but He also delights in the praises of His people. Happy Thanksgiving!!
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