What Are You Thankful For?

It’s the time of year when take a break from school, roll out the good tableware, and ponder ways to attack our turkey while maximizing our mashed potato intake. Among the days of sleeping in and getting ready to see relatives, most of us are forgetting the big reason we’re celebrating – and no, it’s not about the pumpkin pie.

You’ve probably been told to “count your blessings” before. Try listing off three things you’re thankful for.

I’m Thankful For:
• Having a family who can provide for me
• Having friends who make me smile
• Our annual Thanksgiving kick-off trip down to Great Wolf Lodge

Making that list didn’t require too much thought, and while it makes you feel like you’ve fully embraced your capacity of Thanksgiving-spirit, you’re still missing the point. What we often fail to realize while we eat our way through this holiday is that it’s not about what we have to be grateful for, but who gave us those things. “Counting your blessings” is just the first step in feeling content with what you have.
Besides having family and friends who love us and food on the table, we have the Creator of the universe who continues to bless us with those things. God is the driving force between real thanksgiving, and our gratitude should be directed to Him. Psalm 95:1-6 says, "O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalm 107:1 tells us to "give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." What if we really acted upon our gratitude and praised God for what He has given us? That goes well beyond jotting down a list of worldly assets. Our focus this week should rest on God and his enduring love for us. That’s the greatest celebration of all!

GROW! Psalm 100, Psalm 145:7, Psalm 31:19, 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

CONNECT! What is one thing YOU are most grateful for and why? Send your thoughts to girlsforgodblog@yahoo.com.