Give Thanks to God

Every other Thanksgiving my extended family gets together and every time Grandpa leads us in singing the Doxology.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all ye creatures here below

Praise Him all ye heavenly host

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

Amen

 And every time after we get done singing it one family member (always the same one) says, "I've never heard that before!" Every time I say "You say that every time!" And then two years later we repeat the tradition.

Nov. 15- I'm thankful for transportation. We can get from one place to another so quickly via cars, planes, buses, trains and so many other ways. It's truly astounding the resources we have at our disposal that make our lives so much more convenient.

Nov. 16- I'm thankful for God's gifts. Go often will bless us in unexpected ways, sometimes it seems like we've praying for days, months, even years with no answer and maybe our faith begins to waver but then God sends some unexpected gift that we never saw coming. Often we're tempted to question it. To say "Well that's great God but couldn't you have done that earlier? Or done this instead?" Other times we're so overwhelmed that we forget to say thank you like the story of the lepers in Luke chapter 10. Ten men were healed but only one returned to thank Jesus. Other times we just say thank you and although it doesn't always solve all of our problems we're grateful and thankful that God reveals Himself to us in those unexpected ways.

Nov. 17- I'm thankful that we're given the privilege of approaching the throne of Lord Most High. We are able to approach the throne to lift up our hearts and prayers to those in Paris. Although I chose not to publish a post about these attacks I have been praying for comfort for the families and friends who have lost loved ones, lifting up prayers on behalf of those who were injured and asking that God would swiftly bring the terrorists who committed these terrible attacks to justice. But I've also been praying for the other thousands of men, woman and children who are suffering due to terrorism around the world. It's because of Jesus' sacrifice and God's love that we're given the relationship as the Father's children to be able to approach the throne and lay all of these requests at His feet.

Nov. 18- I'm thankful for opportunities. God gives us opportunities all the time, the opportunity to smile at someone and maybe improve their day, the opportunity to show His love, the opportunity to give a helping hand and so many other things. Sometimes it's a questions from a friend that leads to an opportunity that could really help us, or sometimes it's just whether or not we take a moment to smile at the tired cashier and make their day a little brighter by being kind. The opportunities are there, but too often we forget to look. So I'm also thankful for the times when God opens my eyes.

Nov. 19- I'm thankful for a helping hand. This morning a helping hand came in the form of my parents offering help on a new writing project I want to start. Thanks guys!

Nov. 20- I'm thankful for my extended family. I got to see a few of my amazing aunts this morning for just a few minutes and despite the short meeting I always appreciate my time with them. From my aunts, uncles and cousins to my awesome grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles and so on I'm so very grateful for my incredible family that God has blessed me with!

Nov. 21- I'm thankful for coffee, it really helps when you need to wake up to start work.