Thanksgiver

I discovered a new word in the dictionary today.  Thanksgiver – a person who gives thanks.  The word is so weird to say, but I love the meaning.  Of course since Thanksgiving is coming up tomorrow, this is something on my mind.  But not just in the celebration of this one holiday.  I personally would like to have thanksgiving every day, to spend time each day giving thanks to the Lord for all that He has done, is doing and will do in my life. 

It is so easy to get caught up with some of the more trivial things in our lives that we do not see as a blessing.  Like the fact that we don’t have as much money, the best car, house; the list can go on and on of the things that we gripe about each day.  However, I should be thankful for what I have, whether I think it is enough or not.  The Lord could choose to take any or all of this away from me at any moment, but instead, I am richly blessed.  But the things I am truly thankful for go way beyond material things.  I am blessed to have a great family! My husband and my daughter are the best things my God could ever give to me. 

I could make pages of things that I am thankful for, so for me every day should be a day of thanksgiving.  I know I can spend time praying for things I want or “need” and I tend to neglect all the things I am blessed to have.  I want to be a thanksgiver;  I want to change my attitude.  I want to quit being so needy.  As I am thinking through all of this I am wondering how amazing this journey could be if all my prayers were only prayers of thanksgiving.  I would have a completely different attitude in my life.  I choose to begin the change, not to be negative or needy, but to be a thanksgiver.  To have a positive outlook on my life; I choose to focus more on what I have than what I do not. 

I challenge you to do the same.  As our focus becomes more about the Lord and how thankful we are, all the negative thoughts and actions can just fall away.  Let’s see a change, maybe we could start truly living life. 

Something to fight for

It just seems that I keep reading about people being upset about what holiday decorations are going up and when.  I have already put up my Christmas decor but I have not forgotten about  Thanksgiving. I personally like the Christmas décor and want to enjoy it for a while.   It seems there is worry about going from Halloween to Christmas.  In my mind I wonder why do we even put any emphasis whatsoever on Halloween?  It’s not the most desired thing for me to want to celebrate.  But at the same time, I am not here to put an end to it.  However, I just wonder why is everyone so upset about this?  I mean are you only thankful on Thanksgiving?  Shouldn’t we be thankful all the time?  I have breath in my lungs, I am healthy, my daughter is healthy and unlike a lot of people, I get to eat today.  That is the very least I have to be thankful for, I could write so much more.  I guess I have so many questions unanswered about why people are getting so frustrated with this.  Frankly, at the end of the day they are just decorations. 

For me, I would like to be more worried about how I see “Christians” act towards one another.  I would like to put more emphasis on living out life the way it should be lived.  I would like to be more worried about the fact the being called a Christian today means I am lumped in with all kinds of religions that do not reflect my beliefs at all. I could go on and on about many other things we should be fighting for.   I guess, my point is, I think sometimes we get caught up  worried about things that do not necessarily matter, when we should be more focused on the condition of the church, ourselves and on those of us around us.  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether my house is decorated for Christmas or Easter right now.  All that really matters is who I am living my life for everyday.  Am I honoring God?  Am I showing those around me that I am a follower of Christ whether I speak or not?   Maybe the true question should be…. what have we become as Christ followers?   

Let Go

Letting go!  That is the word for today.  Letting go of some preconceived ideas and truly stepping out of the box that I made.  Truly relinquishing myself for what God has asked me to do.  Getting over my pride and truly forgive some of the hurts from my past.  It is awesome that the Lord never gives up on me.  He is showing me things that I know I need to forgive, things that I have “forgiven” already.  I say it that way, because I forgave with words, but I didn’t let go.  And I have let these few things overshadow some great times in my life.  And things He wants me to do now, that I have been resisting are holding me back from those great times that I could be having now.  All I have to do is just let go of how I feel or have felt and trust Him. 

Why do we hold back on God?  As I sit here now thinking about what I have been holding on to, it seems so silly.  I truly wonder why I thought it was good to keep it.  I am so grateful that the Lord is never done with us.  I am thankful that He can rock my world and change my mind so often.  When I let Him.  I am thankful to go through the pain and the fight to come out better on the other side.  The letting go feels so great and brings much more freedom and happiness to our lives.  And it brings honor and glory to God. 

I urge you to seek Him and see what you are holding onto!  And I urge you to LET GO!