It's a Season

Is there a better month than November!?! It holds so much hope, anticipation, expectations and tradition and they're all played out through the month, all leading up to the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, our Savior. It's the perfect blend of thankfulness and celebration. 

November is bursting with pumpkins, fall leaves, colors, baking, hopes, feasts and most of all thankfulness. Daily. Moment by moment. 

Being mindful to count our blessings name them one by one as the old hymn goes. Count our blessings see what He has done! 

Sometimes, maybe all the time, it takes intention and effort to maintain a thankful heart and let praise be on our lips - especially in 2020. It's just been a challenging year for most, if not all of us. But even 2020, the state of America, the pandemic, the quarantines, virtual everything, doctors appointments, disappointments, diagnosis, relationship woes and loss - none of it changes who He is and all He is doing in and through us. I am prone to wander. 

We've always got much to be thankful and often I ask God to remind me, give me a thankful heart and keep me from grumbling and complaining and instead let praises be in my heart and on my lips.

I am grateful for every day! Thankful I feel great and haven't missed a moment feeling sick, tired or unable to function, I am thankful for my family, my friends, good food, great doctors, hope, healing, God's word, His presence, His peace, sunshine, warmth, a comfortable home, freedom, our church, fall colors, changing leaves and seasons, laughter, phone calls, letters in the mail, memories, hope for tomorrow, mercies for today - so many little moments and so many amazing blessings throughout the day! 

Recently I was reading and came upon this excerpt from 1863 when the constitution was severely tested by the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued the Thanksgiving Proclamation and this is what it says:

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens...o set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens. And I recommend to...fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it...to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union." Abraham Lincoln

Mercy, this could have been written for today. Oh, that we would seek wisdom and guidance from our Heavenly Father and thank Him for His blessings. Pause to give thanks with grateful hearts. 

As I've referenced many times, Philippians 4 that our requests should always be accompanied by thankfulness to God. 

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1

"To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you." Daniel 2:23

"Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father." Ephesians 5:19-20

This week as I have a break in between chemo infusions I can sometimes get too far into my thoughts.  I praise Him and reflect on how gracious, compassionate, merciful and loving He is toward me. How He has blessed me and then...I start to feel unworthy. I feel guilty that I'm doing so well and my eyes start focusing on me and it's not the conviction of it that consumes me - it's condemnation and that is not from God. Therefore, now there is no condemnation in Christ. 

I have been forgiven much and as a result I know His mercy and grace abounds. I have been so richly blessed and that is all because of who He is and what He does for me - I can't earn, deserve or be worthy of it. It's a gift and I've had to get real with Him and confess I have been focusing far too much on my unworthiness and too little on His worthiness. And, the fact that every good gift is from Him and it is simply because of His great name and who He is and as I prayed today with confession, thanksgiving and petition ~ He so gently impressed on my heart this very simple, but very relevant truth - 

Don't try to explain, justify, understand my child - just receive the love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, healing, well-being and blessings I, The Lord, bestow on you. 

So, I circle back to thankfulness - gratefulness, praise and giving Him all the glory. I can't earn grace. Neither can you. It's a gift from our most gracious Heavenly Father. 

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the holy One -  give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His son! And now let the weak say I am strong, let the poor say I am rich, because of what the Lord has done...for us...Give thanks! 

All for His Glory - 

Mindi