An Attitude of Gratitude!

Well, for the first time since my youngest was 2 (she is now 13), we are spending the night here in our house rather than on the road to the Cape Cod area!  We will leave for the Boston area tomorrow morning. I am sooo thankful for this! It gives me an evening to unwind from the craziness of the school year thus far, the chance to relax with Dave and Claire with no after school obligations, and the chance to write a Thanksgiving post!

My devotions this month have been from InTouch magazine by Charles Stanley. Yesterday's topic was gratitude. Of course!! Perfect for the season.

I loved what he said about the various reasons we should practice the art of giving thanks . I even came up with a couple of my own.  Let's start with what the devotional had to say:

The reading was from Psalm 105:1-5

"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;

make known among the nations what He has done.

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;

tell of all His wonderful acts.

Glory in His holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and His Strength;

seek His face always.

Remember the wonders He has done,

His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced."

Giving thanks to the Lord has benefits for US as well as magnifying and exalting God.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Refocuses our attention:  we can get out of bed without the weight of the world and its struggles on our shoulders. Refocus on God by thanking Him for what He has provided you with, for past and present, for His guidance and His faithfulness in your life.
• Relieves our anxiety:  We live in a fast-paced world, and it's even faster for those of us who are working moms juggling home/family, ministry duties, responsibilities and expectations, not to mention extra-curricular activities and our fitness routines!  Some people, even Christians, live in a state of anxiety (which technically is a sin since the Bible tells to be NOT be anxious!).  We can bring our concerns to God with thanksgiving!  Once we do that, the focus lies with HIM and we gain the peace that passes all understanding! (based on Philippians 4:6-7)
• Refreshes our relationship:  by giving thanks we stop thinking that our walk is all about our needs and....well....that it's not all about US!  We tend to regain our intimacy with Christ (our fellowship with Him) when we focus on HIM instead of on ourselves and our wants/needs.
• Reinforces our faith:  By giving thanks to God for His past faithfulness to us, we gain confidence in Him and in His ever-present faithfulness.
• Rejoices our spirit:  if we are feeling down or discouraged or just plain sad, we can begin to list our blessings giving thanks to the One who brings everything in to our lives for our good.  Yes...even in this season of grief my side of the family is experiencing with the recent death of my mother, we can give thanks for all the memories we have, for the fact that she was a born again Believer so is in heaven with Jesus now, and for the family that is left here to fellowship with and spend time with.  Our attitudes will change as we lift our voice to Him in thanksgiving...and with this comes a freshening of our soul!

I also thought of a couple of ways we can benefit from giving thanks that the author of the devotional didn't touch on:

FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE AFFECTED!  When we model and practice the presence of God and the art of giving thanks, we are helping our family and friends see a glimpse of God.  We can testify to what God has done for us, even if we are discouraged or not getting an answer to prayer the way we think the prayer should be answered!  Family and friends will see this heart attitude of gratitude and it just might plant some seeds of salvation into their souls.

PERSPECTIVE!  The things we think are oh so important might actually be little trivial things when we put things in perspective. This happens when we start giving thanks. For instance: the person whom I've had a disagreement with might be a huge thorn in my flesh, but when I thank the Lord for her, it puts that situation into perspective such as "life is short" why argue or fight or get angry? let it go, give it to the Lord, and thank the Lord for the person. You will see her/him in a different light and be more compassionate or tolerant.

Daily Worship is enhanced!  I find that the more I list my blessings (based on the book One Thousand Gifts) I am discovering even little or simple things to be thankful for. Things like a steaming mug of coffee on a cold, frigid morning. Things like a husband vacuuming the rugs, the sunlight streaming in through the curtains, the text of a friend, the card in the mail, the hug of a child. Then, by listing those blessings, I am worshiping the One who brought them to me to begin with.

Let's thank God in the next few days as we celebrate the first Thanksgiving here in the United States of America....

....and let's get in to the practice of giving thanks daily....all year long.....to the One who allows us to live and move and have our being.....

It's what God wants us to do!!

Give thanks to the Lord for it is good!!

(I also saw this on Facebook and thought it was very good.  I saw it from my friend Dorrae's page, who copied/shared it from another woman in our church, Gail.  I have no idea who the original source is so...)

The holidays are upon us and it can be a very joyful time of year. Some of us have problems during the holidays and are over come with great sadness when we remember the loved ones who are not with us. And, many people have no one to spend these holidays with and are besieged by loneliness. We all need caring thoughts and loving prayer right now.

Pray for friends and family who might fit in to this category!  

and be blessed......

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!