My Journey Toward Thankfulness

It has been an interesting year. I will spare the gory details, but the honest truth is that I have had to work a whole lot harder at finding reasons to be thankful throughout this year. It's been much easier to give in to my fleshly attitudes of sarcasm, cynicism, and selfishness given our present trials. However, there are many blessings for which to be thankful, even when being tried by fire.

I have a God who loves me as I am, but obviously too much to leave me here. He is answering prayers of the past by "doing whatever it takes" to "make me more like Christ" … "even if it hurts." Despite my frail and faltering faith, He won't give up on me. He gives me chance after chance to respond to Him with the faith and trust that He is waiting to see in me. Thank you, God.

I have a loving, Godly husband who keeps me grounded and challenges me spiritually (he even makes me laugh from time to time!) and despite the true wretch that I am, he sees someone worth loving in me. Thank you, Matt.

I have a job working for/with people who love the Lord - a true blessing in today's world. Thank you, David, Miranda, and Stepping Stone staff.

I have the opportunity to further my education by studying counseling and integrating my passion for al things childbirth-related with what I am studying. In the process of studying things that I love, I am challenged to grow as an individual in every realm: physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. Thank you, HST - staff, professors, and colleagues.

I have family and friends who are real. They are the kind who stick with us even when life is at its messiest. They love us with their words and with their actions. They allow God to use them to bless us. Thank You, You Know Who You Are.

I have a precious kitty-cat. She is an incredible little creature who plays with me when I need a laugh and loves on me when I have had a rough day. She is truly therapeutic. She knows when something is wrong and expresses her concern by her actions towards me. She lets me know that she cares and that her love and care for me is unconditional! And when all else fails, she just sits there and looks cute and improves my day by just being there with me. (This part may be a little over-the-top for non-cat people … but I know my cat-loving friends will totally relate!) Thank you, Galilee.

The truth is, even when times are tough, there are really too many blessings to count. I could go on and talk about everything from role models, to physical health, to easy access to technology, to modern conveniences for which we should all be thankful. Yes, these are challenging times. But the Lord provides in infinite ways. His provision might not always come in the form I was hoping for, but when He sends manna, who am I to demand something more? He is my God, and I am not His god. And for that, I am eternally thankful!

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. Because in both good times and bad, we live lives of luxury and abundance. It is only our selfish demands for "more" that blind us to this truth. Count your blessings, you probably have more than you realized. And at the end of the day, I think sometimes it takes living a more simplified life for our eyes to be opened to the blessings that truly surround us. We live in times where anything we want or need is available to us in the blink of an eye. And most of us have the financial resources to make any of it happen. This "blessing" may truly be a curse in disguise. Materialism casts its spell on many of us (did you notice I said "us"?) and has the potential to turn wonderful, God-fearing people into ungrateful monsters. So in this season of thankfulness, consider being more generous. With Christmas on the horizon, we are entering one of the most selfish, materialistic seasons of the year (yes, I just said that). Consider giving away more than you buy and counting your blessings even when Thanksgiving is over. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive, and I bet it makes God smile a whole lot more!