“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”
Psalm 103:2
It’s almost here. In just a few days, we’ll be gathering together and giving thanks to God for His many blessings. A lot of which we take for granted most of the time.
It’s a special day set apart specifically to focus on gratitude. In this day and age, it’s easy to get wrapped up focusing entirely on what isn’t right, forgetting that there is still goodness scattered around. I’m guilty!
I don’t know why, except that it’s the fallen human nature; however, record shows it takes almost six positive statements to overturn a single negative one. What I’m saying is a lot of us are inclined to see the negative over the positive. Anyhow, I don’t intend to make that the focus of this post.
No matter what is going on inside our lives, there is always something to be grateful for - we simply need to look harder some days.
Trust me, I know this to be true. I’ve had to exercise this tactic often. And…some days I forget and have to be reminded all over again.
Among the very basic things there’s the fact that we woke up this morning - that we have air to breathe, strength to move, and most of us have our right mind. Maybe it’s not the same for everyone, but most of us have food, shelter, transportation and clothing. We have jobs, churches, family and at least a couple good friends. We can even be thankful for our enemies - they show us who we don’t want to be.
It’s a trick of the enemy to make us forget or overlook the simplest of things. Maybe we don’t live in a mansion, but our little home is blessed with peace. We might not drive a luxury vehicle but if we have wheels and gas to put into our clunkers, we can even count that a blessing.
Yes, there are situations which would rob us of our joy and any inkling of positive perspective we can muster, but when we come full circle we find we can even be grateful in those very things - if nothing else than that they push us toward the Lord. He is ALWAYS incomplete control. I’m definitely thankful and grateful for that!
So, no matter what mood, situation or circumstance you might find yourself in this week, could I encourage you to join me in noticing some things of which to be thankful for? Make a mental note or jot it down…we might be surprised at how many things we can come up with when we’re intentionally looking for them. When we do, let’s bow our heads and thank the Lord for every blessing He has bestowed. This will make our Thanksgiving better and more special…and perhaps we will have found a way to make normal everyday moments more profound and impactful.
It’s not deep, but it is effective. What are you thankful for today, my friend?
God bless you and yours this Thanksgiving, may you feel God’s closeness, and may His peace flood your soul and mind.
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