Every Day Is Thanksgiving!

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7


With God, every day is Thanksgiving Day!  At the heart of every faithful Christian life lies a thankful heart.  Without it, we cannot hope to stay faithful!  When we fail to be grateful for our daily blessings, we become despondent, cynical and weary.  We tire of the daily grind of life.  But when we practice the simple act of thankfulness, we allow God the avenue to comfort and soothe us. He keeps us from the onset of despair and hopelessness that might otherwise overcome us.  Let us always remember as we travel towards home:


Blessed be the Lord,
     Who daily loads us with benefits,
         The God of our salvation!
                  Psalm 68:19

"Sometimes the load is heavy and sometimes the road is long; and sometimes Lord this heart of mine is not so very strong.  But Thy will be done, Lord.   Thy will be done."

These words by Joyce Eiler come back to me often when I'm in the midst of a struggle.  Singing the words to this song (the ones I remember) help me to remember that it isn't the struggle that matters, but whether I keep my eyes on the prize.  It is so easy to sink into despair, or anger, or even begin to blame others for my troubles.  But in the end it's just me and God, working through and walking together.  Well, mostly God.  In fact, I am so weak and weary, that I must admit, it's all God! :o) Just to illustrate, can you imagine anyone looking at a Monet painting and saying, "Well, that paint sure made the artist look good!" The creator of the artwork gets the glory, not the canvas or the paint.  Okay, I'm laughing now, but when I started I was crying.

You see, life just isn't easy most days.  There are temptations and trials all along the road. There are steep hills to climb and deep, dangerous rivers to ford.  But I choose to believe God.  He said He would never leave me nor forsake me.  Now, I have the choice to step away from Him.  But He hasn't changed.  There were times I chose to turn my back and live my life my way.  Those are not happy memories.

But in the time since I made the commitment to stick close to His side, to choose His way over mine, there have been sad times, but there is always the contentment of knowing He is  preparing me a home in heaven, but also living inside of me, daily guiding my steps.  The very nearness of God is comforting.  Knowing He has promised that He will never let me suffer longer than necessary comforts as well.

I leave you with these two scriptures:
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”


I Peter 5:10
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.