Thankful Thursday - Random

Dear Diary,

It's that time of the week again, Thankful Thursday hosted by Iris of "Grace Alone" (I know it's Wednesday but Thursday in some parts of the world!).

As I mentioned in my previous post, next week is Thanksgiving and so I (and maybe others) tend to think a little bit more why we are thankful at this time of year.

This week there is no particular theme to TT which is good because it's time to be thankful for the everyday aspects of life. In particular, I'm thankful ....

1. ..... we have a warm, cozy home. The winter cold is coming and I take it for granted that we have a roof over our heads but there are others in the world who live in mud shacks, cardboard boxes or nothing at all. Or in the alternative, what about the thoughts of wanting a bigger house, a bigger garage, etc.? Am I truly being thankful for what has been given to me?

2. ..... that we are able to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday. What about those people living in countries ravaged by famine, lack of water or have governments that block the delivery of food?

3. ..... for our good health. Isn't it true once we get sick, whether it's the common cold or something more serious like heart disease or diabetes, we think twice about how fortunate we are to be healthy and happy to be alive?

Don't we just take it for granted when everything in life seems to be going so well?

Do we even think about being thankful?

Do we think smugly to ourselves that we've done a good job, we've worked hard and we deserve it because it's our reward for being so outstanding?

Well no, we don't deserve it anymore than the next person but by the grace of God we were given these precious gifts every day. So, (I wonder out loud), why is it that we (or I) still sometimes forget to thank God for the "small" everyday things in life?

I can come up with a thousand excuses why not; I'm too busy, it's not important, I'm just too dense to realize what has been given, etc. the list goes on. Doesn't Satan want us to believe it's because of our own ability?

But not this year.

I thank God for his compassion shown to us, for loving his children so much that he gave us His Son. The gift of eternal life, what greater gift is there to be thankful for especially at Thanksgiving and with Christmas so near?

Tonight I will pray for forgiveness for all those times that I didn't truly show thankfulness and I pray that I many never take His daily gifts as my entitlement. Pray also for those who are not as fortunate as you and I and may they also know about the awesome gift of grace.