Note: I wrote this last year at this time. I am happy to report that my boys returned home safe and sound! I wanted to share this with you because God’s blessings are something we should never take for granted…be thankful!
“I will praise God’s name in song and glorify
Him with Thanksgiving.”
Psalm 69:30
On this Thanksgiving Day, I must offer up praise to the LORD. I must thank Him for my wonderful husband, my family, and my church.
Despite many things in my life that have been and are difficult, He has seen fit to bless me beyond my ability to comprehend. I know that these blessings can come from nowhere but by His hand only. For I deserve none of them.
I have had both of my sons at war. One still is, and I cry out to God daily, continually, to keep him safe, and to bring him home to me whole. The other son has been too, and has been kept safe. He has survived what many have not. But he is still so far from home that my heart aches. But God has brought me the wonderful news that he will be coming back to the States on a permanent reassignment in a few more months. Count them…three blessings!
My daughter lives up north, with my granddaughters and my son-in-law. They have gone through particularly tough times recently. And now her husband’s job security is in jeopardy, due to government contracts and cutbacks. But other things in their lives have been touched by God, and their situation is much better than it was. Of course, I have been praying for this change. They are all healthy, they are safe, and they are happy. Three more blessings!
My mom suffered a stroke last year. She has not recovered like she could have…she and my stepfather decided that due to the cost, she did not need the rehab she had been told she needed. So while she has recovered enough to live, to drive, to function, she is still not where she should have been by this time. But she is basically healthy, is enjoying Florida (for the first time I can remember!), and is able to talk to me more like she used to. This too, I believe, is due to prayer. Three more blessings!
Here in North Carolina, we enjoy a lovely home (in OUR eyes!) and good health, and stable finances. We are not wealthy, but we are happy and content. We are part of a wonderful church family, which has also brought us a group of very dear, much loved, personal friends. Six more blessings!
I have a new daughter-in-law, two new step-grandsons, and a whole new family because of this marriage. Three more blessings!
We have seen our share of deaths and illnesses this past year. We lost a dear sister-in-law just yesterday, and I found this out as I was leaving a funeral of a friend’s father yesterday morning. We lost my mother-in-law as well, in February of this year. But despite these deaths, we do not count them as losses…if you know where someone went, how can you say you lost them? Only if they were not saved would they be lost. We WILL see these people again. And there are three more blessings!
Do you see the pattern here? The number 3….these blessings have come in threes, or in multiples of three. And three is a very significant number to Christians. Most notably, Jesus died, and rose again in three days. And because of those three days, we have an eternity with Him, and with our loved ones….for ever and for ever. Perhaps the biggest blessing of them all.
God has so impacted my life, and the lives of my loved ones, that I feel compelled to share these truths with you. We all have blessings, and sometimes we do not even realize it. Blessings come during times of good, and times of trouble, and in the midst of despair. Sometimes we do not see the blessings until later. But they
are always there. They are God’s tangible way to communicate with His children. They are His gifts to us, and His love showered upon us. We do not deserve them, we cannot earn them, but we must give thanks for them.
Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember the good things we have. It is a time to recall joys and tragedies, and to see the ways God has moved in all these. It is a time to call someone up and tell them you are thinking of them, to wish them a good day. Invite a friend over to eat dinner, or to just hang out. It is a time to be quiet in the presence of God, to meditate on His word, to tell Him what He has done for you,
and to thank Him.
No, there’s no Miata in my drive-way, yet again! But there is so much more, and all of you are a huge part of that. I love my life, but more importantly…I love the people in it. And I love our church, from our wonderful sweet pastor, to the smallest child, to the historic building we worship together in. Oh, gosh….wasn’t that just three more blessings?
Your comments are interesting, but not completely accurate. When times are difficult, yes, we do want to laugh more, I just as much as others. But many of us want to be reminded of what God does in our lives, and I do try to incorporate some humor in much of my writing. I had very good feedback on this post I did last year, and I feel it is just as relevant today. I pray you will enjoy this Thanksgiving, and see your blessings however God chooses to show them to you.