Blessings

I was thinking about how much I really enjoy the holidays. As I was thinking about that, it made me think about how easy it can be to get caught up in the busyness of the season instead of really being thankful for the blessings with which God has blessed me.

Does my life reflect that I am thankful for the many blessings with which God has blessed me or do I just go on living and not even give those blessings a second thought? I was really challenged this Thanksgiving to be thankful for even the smallest things, things I might not usually give a second thought to. God truly has blessed me with many blessings and it is wonderful seeing His work in my life and the lives of those around me.

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

-William Arthur Ward

The quote above definitely has truth behind it. If I am thankful for the blessings God has given me, do I thank Him for them? Living a life of thankfulness really can change your outlook. When you are thankful for the things that come into your life, good or bad, realizing that God only brings those things into your life which will help you, improve you, and draw you closer to Him, it brings you nearer to God and helps you see those things for which you might not normally be thankful.

So my challenge to you is, be thankful for all things and in all things. 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

-1 Thessalonians 5:18

Giving Thanks In All Things

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

-Ephesians 5:20

The subject of gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately. I have been doing the 30 days of Gratitude in the back of this book, Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh Demoss and at the moment I am a little over halfway through. So God has been teaching me a lot about gratitude and how to be grateful for all things and in all things.

Recently I have had a few things come into my life and I have found that despite these things that I could complain about, there are a host of things that instead I can be grateful for. On Sunday, two weeks ago, someone ran into my sister and I when we were coming home from church. Well since then the insurance company has totaled my car and tomorrow it gets picked up. But I have been marveling at how even though the car is totaled and with the different things that come with that, there are many more things of which I can be thankful! One being, though my car is totaled, I am getting money to go towards another car. Another thing I can be thankful for, no one got seriously injured in the accident. Also, now though I don't have a vehicle, the insurance company is paying for a rental car for 7 days and hopefully in those 7 days I can get a vehicle. If not, I do know that God has a something already worked out if that should happen. I can't explain maybe exactly everything but I have seen God's hand through all these things and He has come through for me each and every time even though at points it felt like things were not going to work out! I am so thankful for what God has been doing and I am excited to see how He will continue to work in my life!

So my challenge to you is that though it may be hard to give thanks for your circumstances, look for something in and through that circumstance for which you can thank God! Sometimes it takes a bit of looking and searching but there will be something!!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

-1 Thessalonians 5:18