Thankful In all Things

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess 5:18. 

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and grateful for all that we have, given to us by Jesus.  It's hard during the holidays for me to remain upbeat and excited at times.  It just gets super lonely because DH works sooo much and when he is home, he is exhausted from all the talking and selling he did all day - that we usually take it easy.  It's hard when I see so many people spending SO much time with their families because often times, this is when most people can take a few days extra off and spend time together... where as, with DH - he is in black-out and cannot take any days off from November through December.  So today, I drove home from my friend's house and the streets were filled with cars.  Cars filled with family.  Cars filled with bags and luggage as they are able to leave town for a few days and enjoy family/vacation elsewhere. 

Thanksgiving this year will be short for us because DH has to work at 3 am for Black Friday so we have to be home and sleeping early... and then he will be working like a dog until New Years Eve.  I really do not like holidays much anymore.  I try and remember the reason for the season - but at times, like now, it gets hard.  But as I have this pity party, I pulled up that verse.  I will be reading this verse a lot this coming month.  In ALL things give thanks! So, while I feel somewhat lonely, ignored by some, exhausted with new baby, and so many other things - I want to give thanks.  For it's our positive attitude that can change our day around.  Now it's time for me to be positive and make the most out of all this!

- I am thankful for 2 beautiful children, for I could be sitting at home alone right now (actually I'd be working... but still) ;-)
- I am thankful for early Thanksgivings that we were able to celebrate with Nana and Papa instead of having no thanksgiving at all
- I am thankful for a table full of food, for many will be visiting shelters tomorrow, looking for a biscuit and gravy to get them through
- I am thankful for DH having a job, for many right now cannot find work and are trying so hard to do so
- I am thankful to be able to stay home with my children and talk to them about Thanksgiving, for some kids are at a sitters house right now, missing their mom and dad
- I am thankful for family who is willing to spend their holidays with me and my kids, for some are not fortunate enough to even have 1 person who can spend time with them


In all things give thanks! Even when things are kinda yucky and you feel down about your circumstances - you still have it SOOOO much better than sooooo many people out there - so be thankful! You are blessed beyond imagination of many.  We are not starving, we have friends, we have family, we have each other.  :-)

Thankfulness

With this movement going on throughout facebook about thankfulness - I've loved reading what everyone is thankful for but was never moved to do it myself.  Then the other day, I read a status reading something like this: "You are thankful but are you thankful to GOD"... it got me thinking.  This movement has made all of us post what we are thankful for ... because I know we are all thankful for our blessings but in the moment we typed up our thankful thoughts - did we also say a heart-felt thanks to the ONE who gave us those moments/possessions/people in our lives?

I Corinthians 10:26
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

At church on Sunday, the preacher talked about money and how money can ruin marriages.  How money is the root of all evilness and how we are to ask GOD (who actually OWNS our money) what to do with it.  And he quoted this Scripture verse.  So this verse has been on my heart today.  Everything we have belongs to the Lord.  So while I can be thankful 1,000 times over, I really need to be thankful to the Lord.  I need to be telling my thanks to HIM... while witnessing to others of how He has blessed me.  So this Thanksgiving - let's not forget to thank the ONE who gave us all our blessing and take a moment to really, truly, heart-felt and passionately thank HIM.