Perhaps I'll ponder that in December. But for now, I shall be thankful.
First of all, I am thankful for this life God has granted me. I do not expect it to be perfect and always happy, but I am thankful to live it anyway.* I am thankful for a full belly and my healthy. I am thankful to be able to experience this beautiful creation God has made, to experience His people. I am thankful for my husband, whom God has blessed me with so that I might have someone to hold me while He cannot. I am thankful for his courage in leading our little family and following God's will. I am thankful for my mother, for such a strong and joy-filled woman to have raised me. I am thankful for my mother-in-law, who fills my ears with wise counsel. I am thankful for my father-in-law, for filling the void of a wise man I can look up to. I am thankful for my brothers, who fill my life with laughter and my sisters who fill it with adventure and companionship. I am thankful for my friends, who help me learn to be a young woman worthy of their esteem. I am thankful for my vast network of relatives and friends-that-might-as-well-be-relatives-because-of-how-close-they-are for their support and love. I am thankful for my puppy and all her fuzzy love. I am thankful for my father, for without him I would not exist or have any of my siblings.
Finally, I am thankful for my LORD, who loved me so much that He fought for me and gave up His own Son to bring me back into alignment with Himself that I might share a relationship with Him.
*Interesting quote on happiness.... Something to think about.
The sign that we are glorifying God is not that we are happy; happiness is childish, individual, and pagan. It is natural for a child to be happy because a child does not face facts, but a Christian who is merely happy is blind.
Oswald ChambersThe Love of God
Oh and P.S.
I was really touched by this sermon two Sundays ago. This is Michael McBride speaking at Antioch Church in Bend, OR on November 17th.
Sometimes I find that I disagree with Mr. Chambers... I think that happiness is a gift that God has given to His creation and there is nothing wrong with embracing it.
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