There is Power in Thanksgiving

When I lived in the US, my favorite US holiday was thanksgiving. Even though I no longer live there, it is an event I still try to celebrate every year. This post was originally titled "Thank You Lord!" and published on the 29th of November 2011. I love that I can come back to my thoughts from over twelve years ago. My feelings really have not changed much... I am still in awe of how good God is to me!

I know I can never thank Him enough...can I even remember every time He has been good to me? There are so many I can barely keep count. "God is Good"...that is my favorite phrase about the Man upstairs. No matter what, his goodness never fails. 2011 has been a great year! Does not mean it has been easy, but when I count my blessings...I know that there is a God who has got my back.

I am glad to be reminded that as far back as 2011, I was aware of the greatness of God's GRACE. How He loves us even when we are most undeserving. How He pursues us even when failure, sin, and disappointment cause us to attempt to pull away from Him. Over the years these words written in 2011 have proven themselves true over and over again.

Thanksgiving was great...I enjoyed the break and I am sure looking forward to the holidays. About thanksgiving, I realized that this year though I was thankful for many things, one thing stood out. I am most thankful for God's Grace. Unmerited favor...until you have received it you cannot understand. To let God down and let myself down is the worst thing that can happen to me but it gave me a chance to experience and give testimony to His unconditional love. His mercies are surely new every morning and no matter what, if your heart truly seeks after Him, He will always be there for you. That is an important lesson I learned this year.

Yes, because of our humanity, we might let God down every now and then, but if our hearts are in the right place, He always has a way of making it work out for our good (Romans 8:28)

I will end by reminding us of 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Our songs of praise and thanksgiving should therefore not depend on what is going on in our lives, but only on the fact that Jesus died for me and you on Calvary, paying the price for all our sins. There is no gift greater than this free gift of Salvation. Thank You Jesus!!!

Yes, let us be intentional about expressing gratitude to God, even in the midst of suffering or hardship. It is all about perspective. In Christ, choose to see suffering as having a purpose... one that is for your good. That is key to staying thankful in spite of the pain. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16 -18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV

Even non-Christians admit to the power of thanksgiving. It affects one's outlook on the world and makes for a better experience of life here on earth. I will end this post by mentioning three major benefits of maintaining an attitude of gratitude:

1. It fills you with joy thus enabling you to live a happy life.
2. It ushers you into God's presence (Psalm 100) and calls God's attention to your prayer requests (Philippians 4:6)
3. It helps you build good relationships with others. Being a grateful person does not only endear you to God, it also softens the heart of men towards you.

Most of us do not have everything we want in life. But if we choose to focus on and enjoy what we have, instead of brooding over what we don't, we are guaranteed a wonderful time here on earth. May God grant us the grace to count our blessings and say thank You every single day.