“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 CSB
One of my favorite things about the month of November is the inevitable Facebook challenge. Each day, people post one thing for which they are thankful. I love the challenge because it causes people to focus on what they do have instead of what they don’t have.
One thing we all have to be grateful for as we start this month of thankfulness is God. We have a God who loves us no matter how much we mess up. We have a God who created a way for us when there was none. We have a God who made each of us unique, each of us gifted, each of us for a purpose. God is good, He is faithful, His love endures forever. The choice is ours how much we get to experience Him, the choice is ours how much time we spend with Him. He can be front and center, or He can be in our back pocket, the choice is ours. November is a great month to move Him a little closer to front and center in all of our lives through the simple act of thankfulness. Each day, in the comments of the devotionals, thank God for something He did that day. You can be thankful for getting to work on time or getting a clean bill of health from the doctor. Big or small, every day, each of us has something we can thank God for, it’s whether or not we acknowledge it.
I’m thankful that God loves me enough to teach me the lessons He teaches me. I’m thankful I’m better today than I was 20 years ago. I’m not the same person I was before I started following God. I know I still have so far to go, but thank God I’m not where I was. We each can thank God for where He has brought us, what He has helped us overcome. Each of us has faced different challenges, and obstacles but God has remained faithful. He has remained good. His love always endures. Oswald Chambers, a Scottish theologian, says we need to allow God to be as original with others as He is with us. I love how God is original with each of us. When I hear people’s stories of how God has touched and changed their lives, I’m amazed at how intimate and personal they are. We just spent an amazing weekend at the women’s retreat for this group. Each woman had a unique story to share, each woman had experienced God in very personal ways. No two stories were the same, nor will they be in the future. No two thank you’s are the same. So today, our first day of thankfulness, what are you thankful for? Comment below.
