“Yee-haw! That right?” asks a little granddaughter of her grandpa on Thanksgiving as they were on their way to the pasture to see and feed the donkey his apple treats. Laughter around the table while playing a game late at night after a full Thanksgiving Day and meal. Safe journeys for family members who live long distances away from home. Not so nice weather outside, but warm and cozy inside with those you love. These were all wonderful memories to tuck away in my mind.
God wants us to be thankful for the many blessings he brings our way. Life definitely has its hard and difficult times, and sometimes it seems like that’s the way life usually is. But if we search a little, we can find many blessings that come our way.
There is a saying in God’s word that appears at least five times throughout his book. It goes like this:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 NLT)
God is good, and we can be thankful for all he does for us. We can also be thankful for God himself and all who he is to us.
“…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19, 20 NLT)
When we choose to look at life this way and ‘count our blessings’ as the saying goes, it’s easier to be cheerful and positive in ourselves and when we’re around others.
Belonging to God’s family makes us even more aware of his goodness, love and blessings to us. That’s because our ‘spiritual eyes’ are opened, and his spirit within me helps me realize all that I have in him. This is seen in the following piece of God’s word, written by the Apostle Paul to those who belonged to God’s family in the city of Ephesus (this can be true for you, too!):
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins (wrongdoings). He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT)
You can belong to his dear Son, too – as this piece says, and know and experience all that is mentioned here. If your heart is feeling drawn to God, then I would encourage you to simply talk to him as you would to a good friend, with confidence knowing that he really wants you in his family. If you would like to have some help either in understanding further what this means, or just in asking questions, feel free to email me and I will get back to you.
What blessings have you experienced recently? Let’s share them with those around us and brighten their day, too.
Readers are invited to share their thoughts and questions with Gloria at: gloriawes@hotmail.com.
