Giving Thanks~Happy Thanksgiving

Let us remember to give thanks to the Lord, for it is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you.

Thank you for my life. I am still alive to hear my children bicker and my husband shout. Thank you for my voice. I am still able to speak to grumble over housecleaning. I can still speak, sing, and argue with my husband and children. Thank you for my hands. I can still cook and type and write checks to pay the bills. Thank you for my husband. I don't deserve the wonderful man you gave me, I don't always appreciate him, but thank you for giving him to me, making him especially for me and thank you for helping him not give up on me when I am a pain. Thank you for my children. Thank you for their behavior, good and bad. Thank you for their trials to help them grow into better people and teach me to let go. Thank you for the dog. I am not sure why she is chewing the furniture, but when I figure it out, I am sure I will appreciate the lesson you are trying to evoke and I do appreciate you using her to teach the lesson to me.

Thank you for my home. I know I complain about it, but some people don't have a place they can call their own. I appreciate my home so much more since we returned from Germany. It is mine. I can paint it. I can decorate it any way I want and no one can tell me otherwise (except my husband and you blessed me with a great one that lets me decorate any way I want). Thank you for our cars. They have enough room for our family. One gets good gas mileage, the other is spacious with benefits. Thank you for those gifts.

Thank you for my bills. I have them because you have blessed us with nice things. They remind me that I must be a careful steward of the gifts you have given us. They remind me of times when we did not put you first and were not careful stewards of your gifts.

Thank you for my trials. From them I learn how to be more like you and not put myself first.

Thank you for my blessings. They remind me you are loving, merciful, and full of grace.

Thank you for everything.

Amen.

Giving my Day to the Lord

1 Chronicles 23:30

They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening

As I am getting older, staying up late isn't the pleasure that it once was. I don't like the feeling of starting my day feeling exhausted and having to fight to wake up, and likewise at night I find myself falling asleep earlier from pure exhaustion after a long, busy day.

I would like to find a happy medium between the two for a couple of reasons.

I like starting my day early because I have time for me and time for God that I can use to make sure my day begins as it should. I don't always remember to put God first and give Him control of my day. It is easier to put God first if I wake up early and in those quiet moments, I give the day to Him.

I like to end the day without being completely exhausted, because I would like to give all my cares to the Lord and I simply don't remember to tell Him, "Thank You." Not that He doesn't know I appreciate that He made it so that I accomplished all I could for Him in this day, just that I would like to stay awake long enough to thank Him for the opportunity. When I can praise the Lord, it is a good day.

1 Chronicles 16:31

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

Psalm 39:4

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

Psalm 44:8

In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 61:8

Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

God bless.