“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5
I have to admit, I’m not very good at the thanksgiving part. I often forget to say “thank you” to the Lord. I can’t remember the last time I entered His gates with thanks. So, as often God does, I got a little nudge in the middle of the night to get up and spend some time in praise. He has to get me up in the middle of the night because that’s about the only time my mind is still enough to listen clearly!
We have an incredible country with freedoms few others have ever experienced in the history of mankind. Even though things seem tight financially, we have more material wealth and access to material good than any other nation.
I praise God for allowing me to live somewhere I can express my faith so boldly in a public medium. I thank God for providing the marvel of wireless connection to a secured networked internet which is accessible 24x7x365.
I praise Him for my family. My parents who have sacrificed almost everything they have to make sure their kids got a better life than they did. I thank Him for placing me with parents who taught strong ethical values, good relationship skills, and how to love Jesus with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
I give thanks for my husband and all the hard work he’s been doing this past year. I thank Him for my children, Steven, Leah, and Lily who have all taught me how to be a better human and Christ-follower. I praise Him for the people they are becoming! I thank Him for a dry and warm roof over my head and the comforts of life which come so freely in America. I am really grateful for the wide variety of good food available in every grocery store. It’s amazing what we can buy.
I thank Him for creating me in such a way that I long to seek a deeper connection with Him. There are many things I enjoy in my life, but the the thing which brings me the most joy is my pursuit of Jesus Christ. Everything else pales in comparison to the fruit which comes from an all-out quest for more of Christ.
When I think of the ways He has met, challenged, comforted, healed, and loved me, I fall to my knees. The rest of my life will be my attempt at conveying all that He has done for me, in me, and through me.
I thank Him for being a ferociously loving God who cares about even the smallest details. I praise Him for patiently waiting, nudging, and forgiving as I stumble around in my search for Him. And I;m grateful for the assurance of living eternally with Him.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and may you have a blessed time together with your Lord, your friends and family, and those who God places in your path.