In this day of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), it is very important for us to pause and look around at our blessings. If you are reading this, right out of the gate I can count several blessing for you without even knowing your specific situation — the fact you can read, you have some type of electronic device, have internet access, your heart is beating and you can breath, and you have some type of autonomy in the fact you can spend some of your discretionary time perusing the internet. So suffice it to say that you are enjoying many things you can be thankful for — and I am sure there are many more you could identify without breaking a sweat.
On Facebook throughout November, I posted a “thanks” a day as a part of the 30 days of gratitude. Below are all the posts and only begin to scratch the surface at all I am grateful for. I could easily do this for a whole year instead of just a month.
Thankful day #1: I am thankful the creator of the universe loves me enough to send his son Jesus. Thank you God!
Thankful day #2: thankful for our 2nd amendment rights that give us the tools to uphold all the other amendments (and in honor of the 6 new concealed carry applicants who passed the class that was hosted here at our place).
Thankful day #3: so blessed we live in a country where we can openly and freely worship Jesus! — at Southeast Christian Church.
Thankful day #4: I am thankful for a good job with a good company that allows me to provide for my family. Prov 14:23
Thankful day #5: although I should have posted this Friday (Nov 1) on our anniversary, I will do so today. I am so thankful that God blessed me with the gift of a Proverbs 31 woman — one who loves and serves her family, who nurtures, who wipes the snotty noses and cooks the meals that nourish us, who shuttles here and there, who teaches, who clothes and quilts, and who prays and worships.
Thankful day #6: I thank God that I got a “two-fer”, a buy one-get one free in my marriage to my wife. With that wonderful union and commitment, I received a wonderful gift from God in the form of a beautiful little 4 year old girl. That little girl who I adopted stole my heart and has blossomed into a smart, talented woman of Jesus — beautiful on the inside and outside. R – I love you!
Thankful day #7: so thankful for my first born K! I saw the crown of your head before you were born and I did not leave your side for 8 hours (sorry wifey). You are my punkin and have had my heart ever since. You are such a talented, sweet, beautiful, and observant daughter of God. May He lead you to your niche in this world. I love you!
Thankful day #8: I thank God for my namesake and my only son. D, you are so special and I want the world for you. I know and pray you will grow into the gentle warrior God is calling you to be. I love you!
Thankful day #9: I am thankful for the places God has taken me to live — Texas, California, and Kentucky. Each one unique and the exact place I needed to be at that time.
Thankful day #10: I am thankful for a safe, happy, and encouraging childhood being raised by loving parents who are still together to this day.
Thankful day #11: Thankful for our veterans and military who serve and sacrifice to keep us safe from evil in the world, protect our freedoms, and guard the Constitution.
Thankful day #12: I am thankful for my physical health. While I am not 20 years old anymore, occasionally experience old injury pain, and could stand to lose a few pounds, I am disease free and healthy. I thank God for continued breaths and heartbeats.
Thankful day #13: I am so thankful for my parents. My Mom and Dad sacrificed to raise me and my sister (and many others transitioning though — exchange students, relatives, friends, etc). They instilled faith, values, morals, work ethic, and many other benefits into us that have paid dividends in our adult lives. They raised God-fearing, tax-paying, community-serving, disciple-making kids that this country needs more of. It is my plan to pass this on to my kids and do the same. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you did as parents. I love you!
Thankful day #14: I am thankful for “anchor points” in my life. These people are more than a mentor. They are important people who have poured into me, who spend time with me, who I can learn from, who love me for who I am yet push me to be more, and who provide perspective on all the important things in life (spiritual, relational, physical, emotional, financial). An anchor point is a more intimate relationship than a mere mentor – they are someone who “anchors” you…..and you can have multiple ones you can knit together to create your personal safety net.
Thankful day #15: I am thankful for prayer; that we can communicate with our Creator directly. That we can lift up our pains, reveal the secrets of our hearts, confess our sins, cry out in despair, and seek out God’s guidance. Christ tore the curtain and bridged the gap and he intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:13-15 and 6:19-20). Jesus, thank you for hearing my feeble prayers. I am weak but You are strong.
Thankful day #16: I am thankful for the nature that God has surrounded me with out here in the country. And to hunt on my own land is a special treat. Not only because of the food provided, but the journey — that included a beautiful owl that landed on the tree next to us, multiple geese squadrons flying by so close you could hear the air off their wings, a hawk setting off a cacophony of squirrel alerts, and coyote yips in the distance. God made it all and you must be out in it to truly enjoy it.
Thankful day #17: I am thankful for storms in life, physical and otherwise. They bring rain, the winds blow and test us, and they let us know there is something bigger than us. For the believer, storms also force us to trust in our Creator and stake our claim on the solid rock of Christ. Prayers for all of those affected today by violent weather storms in the midwest.
Thankful day #18: I am thankful for the 2nd Amendment. If you like or enjoy any of the other amendments or any of the Constitution for that matter, you cannot dismiss the 2nd Amendment which backs it all up. None if it means anything if it can be easily taken away — and the 2nd Amendment prevents that.
Thankful day #19: I am thankful for friends who are in my life now, as well as those from the past (and those in the future). If you are reading this on Facebook, YOU are one of those. Our lives might have intersected for a very short time or you might know my entire life story — either way God meant it to be for a reason. Thanks for who you are!
Thankful day #20: I am thankful for forgiveness, reconciliation, and second (and third and fourth…..) chances.
Thankful day #21: I am thankful for God’s handiwork that He so frequently shares with us in the form of sunrises, sunsets, rainbows, and other spectacular forms of creation. This picture is from this morning.
Thankful day #23: I am thankful no one noticed I missed day #22.
Thankful day #24: I am thankful for the skills, talents, and gifts God gave me…..and the parents, teachers, and mentors who taught me to leverage those skills for the better of my family and others around me.
Thankful day #25: I am thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I place my hope and trust in the salvation of Jesus and knowing I have dear friends who have done the same is such a valuable resource in keeping me an encouraged, inspired, and accountable disciple.
Thankful day #26: I am thankful for the many blessings of enjoyment that God gives us (that He didn’t have to). Such wonderful things as a sunrise/sunset, a butterfly fluttering, powerful volcanoes, the sweet taste of strawberries, perfumed flowers, soft kitten fur, birdsongs, human hugs. There are SO many more that I can’t list them all. List your favorite blessings from God in the comment
Thankful day #27: I am thankful for memories that, as I get older, I can replay like a mental VCR. God’s blessings go back quite a ways. 😉
Thankful day #28: On my favorite holiday, I am so thankful for faith, family, friends, food, and football. Happy thanksgiving!!!
Thankful day #29: (added retro) I am thankful for holiday family traditions and that I can serve my wife to make this her favorite season (as a thank you for her serving me on Thanksgiving to make that my favorite day).
Thankful day #30: (added retro) I am thankful, again, for salvation and eternal life through Christ Jesus who God gave as a sacrifice for my sins because of His great love for me. He loves you the same and wants to have a personal relationship with you. Not a seat in a church, not a Sunday check-the-box, but a real, true, fulfilling relationship that will carry you home through anything to heaven.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
