Give me a word, Lord: THANKFUL

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thankfulness…that’s a word I could write about all day long, especially this time of year. We are just a few short days from the day we recognize as the day to be thankful. Thanksgiving looks different this year. I don’t know if we’ll be able to have our big family meal due to having family members with COVID-19, and I probably won’t be able to taste the food anyways. LOL. But is this any reason to be less thankful? Absolutely not! We have so much to be thankful for. Thankfulness should be a state of mind. We should be a daily attitude of gratitude.

When should be give thanks? We give thanks before every meal even if we are eating out in a restaurant. That is something that we don’t see very often anymore, but thankfully, I am married to a man who is not ashamed or afraid to grab my hand and pray aloud before every meal. I’m so very thankful for that man. But, we can’t limit our giving thanks to meal time. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that we should give thanks in all circumstances. We should be thanking God for everything even the trials that come our way. That’s a bit harder than thanking Him for a delicious meal, but in reality, we must thank Him for all things. For it is in those trials that we cling closer to Christ, and we feel His presence!

I love the month of November. I’ve played the game of thankfulness a few times in which you share something that you are thankful for each day for the entire month of November. I know it seems silly because I am truly thankful every day for all the blessings in my life, but I think that it is a good habit to actually take time to list the things you are thankful for. This helps keep things in perspective, and it helps us as we develop and strengthen our attitude of gratitude. Also, as our list lengthens with the many blessings of life, our thankfulness grows immensely.

Today I challenge you to look past the worries of the world, look past your own circumstances and troubles, and look up. Look up to Christ and raise a hallelujah. Sing praises to our Savior, and truly thank Him for each and every blessing that has been bestowed upon you. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.” Look at God today with a heart of thankfulness. Rest in Him today and every day!