Grateful...Grateful...Grateful!

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

I Cor 3:25 (NLT)

    November is known for the many preparations we make for the Thanksgiving season, whether we believe in the tradition of celebrating for one day or just enjoy gathering with family and friends over delicious meals, we can all agree that we all have much to be grateful for everyday. Even when we think that we have nothing to give thanks for, as long as we are still alive, we can be thankful for hope. Someone else is watching how we deal with our situations so they can learn how to handle their own difficulties.

     During this season, it's also a blessing to learn how to enjoy the things that we have already received, as we watch the blessings that are already in progress. The temptation to focus on what we don't have can be very great and can keep us in a cycle of constant frustration and unhappiness, which is a trick of the enemy. Sometimes it's a challenge to be happy for others when their lives seem to be progressing at a faster rate than ours...but as worshipers of Christ, we must always remember that our life path is a combination of God's will and our choices. We can't change His plans but we can make changes that are in our control. What is out of our control, we must learn to accept! If we think about it long enough, there are many things that we can change that can make our lives more manageable:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

     This Thanksgiving and all year, let's look at life from a place of gratefulness, and enjoy what we have right now. Tomorrow is not promised...so ask God to give us a heart and mind to appreciate everything good that is around us. Life becomes so much more beautiful when we are grateful!

     Please enjoy this video by my artist friend, Cherie Romar: