Being Thankful
Wednesday, November 23, 2004
Welcome to the Holiday Season once again. The day after Thanksgiving Day has “officially” started the Christmas Season, commercially speaking. The long lines and the parking congestion are well underway. In 1995, I had a part-time retail job in a mall here in the Houston area. I remember large crowds and thousands of faces, but one of the wildest things I saw during that time was a husband and wife wrestling over their checkbook. The wife and two children had come into the store and were shopping when the husband walked in a few minutes later, requesting the checkbook. The wife disagreed and the bout began. It only lasted a few seconds because that was all it took to attract the attention of everyone in the area, and that is also how long it took for them to see how foolish they were acting. I told you this story to show how something that was supposed to be a good experience turned into something ridiculous when joy and thanksgiving were overlooked. They forgot to be thankful for what they had (each other, the ability to shop, time to be together, etc.), and were instead focused on what they did not have.
What are you thankful for today? I will tell you some things that bring a feeling of thanksgiving in me. And by the way, thanksgiving has to be “in you”, and then it will come out and others will be affected by it. I am thankful because someday I will live in Heaven and not hell. I thank God because someone cared enough to show me Romans 10:9-10, 13, and they were persistent enough to lead me in the prayer of salvation 20 years ago. I thank God because 5 years later I found myself in a church where someone had the audacity to get in my face and show me in the Bible that I needed the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and that I needed to speak in tongues on a daily basis in order to lead an overcoming life. Oh, Thank You, Father!
I’m thankful that even though I made some bad decisions in my life, God has shown me tremendous mercy and today I can celebrate the holidays with my wife and children. I am a wonderfully blessed man!! God is so good to me. He has an expected end for us and it doesn’t have anything to do with mediocrity or “just enough” provision. No matter where you are in your Christian walk or your personal life goals, God wants you to have more of Him and His blessings. We can never exhaust God or His ability to give. Talk about a reason for Thanksgiving! “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)
Make sure the people around you know how thankful you are for them, but most of all, make sure God knows how thankful you are for the life he has provided for you and the blessings you enjoy moment by moment. Stay thankful and stay blessed!
