“What am I thankful for?” my daughter doodled on a spiral notebook page at a Thanksgiving dinner. Each of us were to take a moment to answer the question.
I have been pondering on that question again this week. What am I thankful for? The list could go on and on.
I am thankful this week that my son and daughter-in-law who live over 1000 miles away were able to afford flying home for the week. I am thankful that they still want to come home to visit and that we have room for them to stay. I am thankful that when I told my boss that I was going to take Tuesday off to spend the day with my kids, he asked, “Aren’t you going to take Wednesday as well? You don’t get to see them much.”
I am thankful that all of our children and their significant others were able to join us for dinner on Saturday night even though they all have very busy lives and only one of them lives in town now. Not only did I enjoy seeing all 10 of us squeeze around the table, I loved hearing them joke, laugh and catch up with each other. Despite the distance between our homes, our hearts remain close.
I am thankful for the plans we have tomorrow. It has become tradition for us all to cram down into the basement to eat breakfast and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in our pajamas. One of the boys has been anxious for “the one time a year we get to eat monkey bread.” I used to get up and watch the parade alone because none of them wanted to get out of bed, but now that we don’t see each other as often and now that we have added more ladies into the family, this has become one of our favorite traditions.
I am thankful that my sister is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, and that my parents, my children, my siblings, nieces and nephews will all be together to enjoy each other’s company while stuffing our bellies. The conversations will be good, there will be plenty of hugs, and I’m sure we will have way more than enough food.
What am I thankful for? I am thankful for so many people. I am definitely thankful for family and that we are all able to be together again this Thanksgiving. I am also thankful for all of my friends and for their support, encouragement and prayers. I am thankful for good neighbors, teachers, doctors and dentists. I am thankful for the policemen, firemen, and armed servicemen who risk their lives to protect us.
I am thankful to live in the United States of America. I am thankful that we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to bear arms. I am thankful to live in a country with so many job opportunities. I am thankful not only for all of the agencies we have in place to help those who are struggling but also thankful that there are so many citizens in our country who are willing to assist those in need and help them get back on their feet when they fall.
I am thankful for my home, my vehicle, a heater that works, indoor plumbing, clean water, a dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer, oven, microwave, washer and dryer. My house may need a lot of repairs, and not all of my appliances work perfectly, but some people do not have these blessings at all.
I am thankful for each day that I wake up. I am thankful for the medication that helps me breathe and for the eye glasses that help me see. I am thankful that I can hear, that I can talk and that I can walk.
I am thankful that though I am becoming more forgetful, I still have many wonderful memories. I am thankful not only for the good times but also for the difficult times because it is through the difficult times that I have learned and grown. I am thankful that in those trying times, God is teaching me to have a heart that can give thanks in all circumstances.
I am thankful most of all for God. I am thankful that we have His very words to us written down in the Bible. I am thankful for His love, mercy and grace that He extends to me even though I don’t deserve it. I am thankful for His Son, Jesus, who He sent to die in my place. I am overwhelmed by His sacrifice and forever indebted to Him. I am thankful that through Jesus, my sins have been forgiven and my relationship with God has been restored. I am thankful that I can go to God in prayer knowing that He is listening and that He will respond. I am thankful that He has filled me with His Holy Spirit who blesses me with discernment, counsel, guidance, wisdom, strength, courage, comfort, peace and absolutely everything I need to live the life that God has called me to.
I am thankful that in Jesus, my life has purpose. Though God doesn’t need my help, I am thankful that He allows me to join in His work and witness lives being saved and transformed for eternity. I am thankful that God can take a mess like me and work in me, through me and around me to accomplish His will. I am thankful to know that despite my shortcomings, God isn’t finished with me yet. I am thankful that “He who began a good work within me, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
I am thankful that whether I die or whether He returns, whichever comes first, I have the assurance that He will take me home to live with Him forever in heaven where there will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain. I am thankful that between now and then, whatever life throws my way, He will be with me through it all and that He will see me through to the end.
What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? I am thankful for far too many things to list. I pray that you too will take time to think about all that you are thankful for, that you too will find that you are thankful for far too many things to list and that you too will realize that Jesus is your greatest blessing of all and that you have found life abundant in Him. I pray that if you have not yet surrendered your life to Him, you will boldly step forward in faith and find true peace and satisfaction in your decision to accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
