Welcome to 30-ish Thankful Days 2023! For all of November, I'll be writing a little blip daily about something I'm thankful for. Why 30-ish days? Because sometimes life happens and I can't write a grocery list much less compose something read-worthy. My goal is to have 30-ish Thankful entries. by the end of November.
Unlike retail stores, I realize that there is a major holiday between Halloween and Christmas. It's called Thanksgiving. Between all the darkness and fear that Halloween evokes and the joy and redemption of Christmas lies Thanksgiving.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be ANXIOUS about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Do you see it? Between all those things that make us anxious and fearful and that "peace of God, which transcends all understanding" lies thanksgiving! How do we get from one to the other? Through prayer petitions wrapped in thanksgiving.
When we are thankful, we are happier people. When we are thankful, we aren't complaining, whining, ungrateful people. When we're focused on all the goodness of God in our lives, we are content and rarely see ourselves in lack. I know this because 30-ish days of Thanksgiving was born out of a several-year period when it felt like a bomb exploded right in the middle of my life and the pieces were still up in the air and I didn't know where they were going to land. What was God's solution during that time? Thankfulness. He very clearly instructed me to keep a journal and write at least one way in which I had seen His goodness in my day. It revolutionized my life! And I still do it.
When you go through life looking for and expecting to see God's goodness, it changes your entire day and since God is good all the time, it's hard not to see at least one way in which He has been good to you that day.
So today, I'm thankful that I ALWAYS have something to be thankful for because God is always up to something good!
Unlike retail stores, I realize that there is a major holiday between Halloween and Christmas. It's called Thanksgiving. Between all the darkness and fear that Halloween evokes and the joy and redemption of Christmas lies Thanksgiving.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be ANXIOUS about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Do you see it? Between all those things that make us anxious and fearful and that "peace of God, which transcends all understanding" lies thanksgiving! How do we get from one to the other? Through prayer petitions wrapped in thanksgiving.
When we are thankful, we are happier people. When we are thankful, we aren't complaining, whining, ungrateful people. When we're focused on all the goodness of God in our lives, we are content and rarely see ourselves in lack. I know this because 30-ish days of Thanksgiving was born out of a several-year period when it felt like a bomb exploded right in the middle of my life and the pieces were still up in the air and I didn't know where they were going to land. What was God's solution during that time? Thankfulness. He very clearly instructed me to keep a journal and write at least one way in which I had seen His goodness in my day. It revolutionized my life! And I still do it.
When you go through life looking for and expecting to see God's goodness, it changes your entire day and since God is good all the time, it's hard not to see at least one way in which He has been good to you that day.
So today, I'm thankful that I ALWAYS have something to be thankful for because God is always up to something good!