Practicing Thankfulness

I think it's a good practice to be intentional about thinking on what things for which you are thankful. In high school, I used to have a little "gratitude" journal that I would write a few things each day for which I was grateful. I don't know if I still have it, but it would probably be pretty funny to read... if I remember correctly, I did this right before bed, so "my bed" probably made an un-proportionate number of appearances!

Anyway, I was never very good at doing it habitually and daily (hm, not much has changed, this is still something I struggle with!), but it was always encouraging to do. Because even on bad days, you are forced to think about the many blessings God has provided (like when Steve has to work 27 hours straight I am forced to be thankful he has a job). So when I saw that people on Facebook were doing "30 Days of Thankfulness" I jumped on the bandwagon (I am not a big bandwagon-er, but this seemed worthy!). Additionally, one wise Facebook friend suggested that we who recognize it should specify that we are not just thankful, but thankful TO God. So if you've seen my (not quite daily) posts, this is not new to you. I just wanted to list them all (so far) in one place on this, Thanksgiving Eve.

Without further ado, here they are (in no particular order, I might add) :

I am thankful to God:

1. that I can rest in the sovereignty and goodness of God
2. for rest
3. for our wonderful church family
4. for His Word, a lamp unto my feet
5. for my hubster, who has been such an encouragement and agent of spiritual growth in my life
6. for his powerful Word which is the hope for salvation and a daily encouragement (I read Psalm 33 today and was refreshed by the truths in it)
7. for blessing me with an amazing family (including wonderful in-laws!)
8. for yummy and nourishing food (He provides!)
9. for pastors and teachers who are willing to speak the truth, even when it's difficult or unpopular (His truth persists!)
10. for friends: new and old!
11. for the ability to come to God in prayer
12. for work to do! (Praise Him, I have a job as a contracted toxicologist... now just praying for them to send me something to work on!)
13. for JESUS! (Thinking about Christmas as I prepare to give a short message at my church's ladies' Christmas tea!)
14. for a cozy bed* and a roof over my head (even though it's not the roof I'd prefer!)
15. for Pinterest recipes and craft ideas :)
16. for carves and puffy vests to keep warm when it's chilly
17. for the Holy Spirit! Because of Him, my daily life is different. I am not perfect, but definitely a work in progress thanks to God!
18. for the legacy of amazing, strong Christians. So many amazing testimonies of God's grace, faithfulness, and equipping are an encouragement to me today!
19. for transportation... He has been keeping my Honda CR-V running for 210K + miles and counting even though the transmission tried to die a year ago!
20. for YouTube knitting tutorials! :)
21. for His steadfastness and unchanging nature!

*  it wouldn't be my list if it didn't include my bed! haha

Each one of these was brought on by a scripture, thought, realization, sermon, or "random" blessing on the days they were posted. I would love to expand on each of them, but I think each is sufficient on its own, too. So perhaps I'll revisit some of these in another post someday, but for now I leave you with this from Psalm 36:

5 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O Lord.

7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

Wishing you all joy and blessing on Thanksgiving!