Thankfulness as a way of living has been my theme for some time now. Some days I am more successful with this than others. It’s been easier this month with the Thanksgiving season upon us but that still does not lessen my responsibility to be mindful of my blessings. As I sat down to write this week I seemed to have a jumble of ideas all centered around thankfulness so I thought I would collect them here.
1. Being thankful is God’s will for me. (1 Thes. 5:18)
2. Thankfulness is like armor. It protects me from bad attitudes, greed and envy.
3. Thankfulness alleviates depression. Count your blessings!
4. Pride can destroy thankfulness (when I am proud I feel I deserve more instead of being mindful of what I already have been given)
5. My thankfulness should be expressed often, verbally and by my actions.
6. I should be especially thankful for those that God has put closest to me: my family and my church.
7. Because I am thankful I am compelled to serve the Lord out of love for Him.
8. It is still difficult to be thankful for trials and tribulation but I am starting to understand how God uses those to shape me into a usable vessel for Him.
9. Difficult people are a blessing from the Lord that I should be thankful for.
10. The gift that I am most thankful for is my salvation and the hope that the Lord has given me for eternal life.
I hope that this month has caused you to think about all of the things that you are thankful for. I hope that you understand how important it is to be thankful at all times and in all things. I would ask you to stop and think of all the things that God has done for you and the ways that He is working in your life and then give Him praise for it.