Thanksgiving

"As we pause to thank Him for the blessings of the past year, we must not forget to thank Him for the lessons we have learned through our difficult times. We are not to be thankful for just the pleasant, easy things, but ALL things!"

The smell of turkey & pumpkin pie fill the house. Snoopy is floating past Macy's. Family comes over, the Lions play football. Which they usually lose... Its easy to see that not just fall, but Thanksgiving is here! This time of year is when we eat and have a contest to see who can become the fullest and fall asleep the fastest. Is this really thanksgiving? Or do we just like to eat & hang out with family?

I challenged my youth group this past week to stop & think. If you were to make a list of everything you were thankful for, how long would your list be?

Because, we live a complaining world don't we? Our food didn't get to us fast enough. We didn't get treated the way we think we should have have. That situation wasn't fair. It goes on & on!

A lot of people find it easier to be dissatisfied with their life than to be thankful for everything they have been blessed with!

To quote a country song, sometimes we "look at what everyone has, & forgot about all that we got."

This Thanksgiving Holiday are you truly thankful for the things that God has done, is doing & is going to do?

Psalm 116:12-14

"What can I give back to God
for the blessings he's poured out on me?
I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
I'll pray in the name of God;
I'll complete what I promised God I'd do,
and I'll do it together with his people." (The Message)

God has given us so much!

- Life
- His Son
- Salvation
- Breath
- Sunrises & Sunsets
- The list goes on!

Compared to all that He has done, what could we do in return?

We can start by thanking Him! & it doesn't have to be with the big things. Why can't we just thank God for another day? For being able to move? For clean running water? For His word? For the promise of eternal life?

This Thanksgiving, as we pause let's not just be thankful for the day, or for Grandma's stuffing but let's be thankful for everything!

This means the good & the bad! Because God can use the bad circumstances in our lives to help us grow closer to Him. Which is ultimately what we should be striving for everyday anyways!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!