Give Thanks

1 Chronicles 16:34 NLT 34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever!

Growing up, our family had a tradition that before saying grace over our Thanksgiving feast, each person had to present at least one thing for which they were personally grateful. I am grateful for my job said one family member who had been unemployed for a period of time. I am grateful for my health said another who had just recovered from a serious illness. I am grateful for a roof over my head, said my cousin who had just purchased her first home. I am grateful for my family, I am grateful for this food, I am grateful for our freedom, I am grateful that we are all here together and on it went and at the end we said the Lord’s prayer. 

It is sad that we truly don’t appreciate the gifts of life until we become at risk of losing them or do lose them.  

I pray for the people who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy especially those who have lost loved ones, lost their homes and for so many who are still without power today. I pray for the people in the midst of the wars in the middle east, where bombs explode destroying homes, taking lives and making families homeless leaving them to live in fear.  I also pray for all who are fighting illness or injury, who mourn the loss of loved ones, who are homeless and for people who find themselves alone and lonely.  I pray for the members of our the military and especially for the many who are away from their families during the holiday.  

Colossians 3:15 NLT 15 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. 

This week, I challenge you to write a personal gratitude list. Take a long hard look around you and write down 10 things that you are truly and passionately grateful for and read your list at the Thanksgiving table.  It doesn’t matter if you are eating a TV dinner alone or at a large family gathering.  Read your list aloud with thankfulness. 

I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to write this blog and I want to say thank you to all who read it each week, who make comments and for your continued love, support and prayers.  

May God Bless You and Happy Thanksgiving!  

Signs and Wonders

Hebrews 2:4 (NLT) 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. 

Does God gives us signs?  I believe that he does. 

God teaches us to live by faith and not by site.  However, we all have moments of weakness when we when need a little reinforcement that we are on the right path and that everything will be okay because we cannot see the outcome from our vantage point.  I am not talking about the miraculous signs in the bible demanding proof of God’s presence, but signs and wonders as a method of interaction with our loving Father. 

God wants to communicate with us in a way that we will understand and in forms unique to  our individual needs. Quite often the signs are simple and subtle. A sign may come through a message from a person or through animals, music, art and the written word. Have you ever prayed to God about something and then let the bible fall open to a page hoping to see the answer?  

Quite often God uses the wonders of nature as a way of communicating with us providing us with signs and reminders of hope of a future and reassurance that he is with us always.

When I am really troubled, I ask God for a rainbow and occasionally I get my wish.  Many times it comes simply in the form of light shining through a prism of glass reflecting a colorful display.  For one of my friends her sign is a white butterfly and for another friend it is sea birds.  

I think that God gives us messages and signs everyday to answer our prayers and concerns, yet most of the time we are blind to them. Truly, we simply need to open our hearts and minds to Him and we will feel  God’s presence everyday.  What better sign than that?

Check out this clever youtube video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cvigxUxM8

Carry-On Baggage Only

Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Over the years, I have learned the value of packing lighter when I go on vacation, especially when traveling by airplane. Instead of haphazardly throwing a bunch of clothing into my suitcase, I now spend more time planning and coordinating outfits and have learned to pack smarter. Packing for vacation is a lot like getting older.  

When I was younger, I was focused on the collection of material things and getting ahead in life. Along the way, I also ended up picking up worries, resentment, hurt, jealousy, fear, anxiety, confusion, stress and sadness. There were several times when I was faced with the unexpected, some of which threatened to destroy the essence of me and essentially steal my joy. The weight of my baggage started to tip the scales and ultimately I realized that it is time to start unloading and learn to pack lighter.

Grandma often says that we spend the first half of our life collecting things and the second half getting rid of them. She was referring to material possessions, however, I believe that it also applies to our mental and emotional collections. Material comforts come and go, but letting go of emotional baggage is the most difficult and the ultimate freedom in life. So many sleepless nights of worry are trivial from God’s point of view. With age and experience comes wisdom; with wisdom comes perspective; with perspective comes peace and joy.

God is the perfect baggage handler. He will destroy the baggage that destroys us if we can simply let go  of it.  Give God your clunky old stale emotional baggage and let him care for you. Store your treasures in heaven and pack only what you can carry with you.

Isaiah 46:4 (NLT) 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

"Breath. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure".  Oprah Winfrey