November 27, 2008

Being Thankful

"The Knob Creek Place" Believed to be the cabin where Abraham Lincoln spent his early boyhood years. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site Hodgkinsville KY

Thanksgiving as a national holiday was established by President Lincoln...He knew he had a lot to be thankful for, he never forgot where he came from. I hope I never do as welll...

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:15-17

I find that I am having a hard time feeling much of anything, but certainly in my head I know that I have been blessed... Oftentimes I feel like everything that I wanted in my life...marriage home family business is all going by the wayside. I dont know what God has in store for me in the comming year, but I am glad for it.

I thought that I would list a few things that come to mind that I should just thank God for publically

First, God chose to bless me with a relationship with Him. Not every one that has that opportunity can freely choose it. The 20 years of faith and reliance on God's provision has been an adventure and seems to be continuing in that vein...

God also say fit to bless my with citizenship here in the greatest country on earth. A place where I enjoy freedoms unknown to much of the world. Here I dont have to hide myself under layers of cloth to make myself invisible just because I am a woman. I can go to any house of worship I chose and pray in the open daylight and not be concerned that some government spy is watching my every move. I am free to pursue any occupation I choose or not work as I chose. Truly, only those that are ill or difficent in capacity to work have to exisit at the poverty level in my county. There is no permanant underclass divided by race or creed.Yes and I am free to give out of my abundance to assist those in need through the many organizations that are available.

I have been blessed with a shelter at an afordable price that is a mansion by much of the worlds standards in a good area, where I will be safe even though I am living alone. Then God has blessed me with new stuff maybe too much new stuff to fill it with. I have laughed out loud at this abundance more than once. I am thankful that even with borrowing against the home that Woody is keeping, the loan and the payment are manageable and the bank is working to refinance Woody into an even less expensive loan. For so many this is not an option and they are losing their homes. I am very thankful for this blessing.

I not only have enough to eat, my greatest fear is having too much to eat. In a world where half of its people live on two dollars a day or less this is astonishing. Not only do I have food, but I have three months of nutrisystem food left that will sustain me should I not find work soon... We as a people are blessed beyond measure at the sheer quantity of food available to us. The government/media would have us think there is some kind of famine in the land and people are "food challenged". Most people are in my boat, overweight because we have too much food on the table.

Then there is work. There is all of this ballyho about unemployment. Yes we have a lot of people losing their jobs, but truthfully much of the world has had double digit unemployment for decades, We are so fortunate to have the number of jobs that we do here. I have applied for over 50 jobs in the past two weeks. I will get something.I am amazed at the number of posisitons available on line and if anyone needs work all they need to do is get out there and really look and take what ever you can. I feel blessed by the opportunities alone. God will provide something.

When we were living in Hawaii, while it was lovely there it was a lot more difficult financially. We had a little sign that we put up that said "Be Grateful". I am taking that today to my new home to put in a prominant place to remind me to do just that. I know that there will be hard times ahead...maybe not financially but certainly emotionally. I will do my best to remember all that God has done and be glad for every little thing. A thankful heart is open to all of the things God has for it and I am thankful for the provision that has and will continue to sustain me...

Labels: Faith, scripture, Thanksgiving