Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. --1 Thessalonians 5:18
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.--Psalm 50:23
Special thanks to Barbara Rainey of Family Life Today for her inspiring thoughts on a spirit of GRATITUDE! (check out more on http://www.familylife.com/)
In God's Word, the Bible, we are told that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years just for grumbling and complaining.
--I think we'd all be on long journies if God choose to teach us in the same way today.
I'm embarrassed to say my bent toward complaining must annoy God in a mighty way.
In a way, perhaps my pursuit of "discontentment" causes me to wander a bit, like the Israelites. Maybe I am missing the blessing of a spiritual "Promise Land" because of my selfish focus.
Hmmmmmm........
Perhaps we should all choose gratitude long after the Thanksgiving turkey has been cleared away. This grateful attitude may take PRACTICE.
Being grateful is a choice. Barbara Rainey shares a historic example:
I like the contented way the Pilgrims approached life. They did not allow their feelings or circumstances to determine whether or not they would exercise gratitude and thanksgiving. They believed that God was in control--"providence," they called it. Following this belief to its logical conclusion, they responded to challenges with a perspective that said, "God has allowed this for our good." They chose to believe--rightly so--that their dependence on a holy, faithful God was well placed and that even though much was against them, there was always much more for which to be grateful.
We can choose to take our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances, gratefully acknowledging who God is and what He is doing.
A grateful heart pleases God.
If you'd like to see a prime example of this, check out this video of an awesome young woman named Lauren Scruggs:
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