As we head into Thanksgiving week, I can’t help but stop and think about how blessed I am.
First of all, God has blessed me with the gift of knowing Him. He sent His Son to the cross at Calvary to die in my place. I have accepted that supreme sacrifice, and accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. That and that alone is reason enough to call myself blessed.
I am thankful, that regardless of what our president says, America is a Christian nation. It was founded on Christian beliefs and principles, and it affords us an opportunity to worship the God of creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the God who is personally concerned about me and my provision, protection and eternal salvation. We can worship freely and without reservation.
I am thankful for my wife. She is my best friend and my confidant. We have enjoyed good times and some tough times. We laugh together, we have cried together, we support each other and we are committed to each other.
I have a wonderful, large family, for which I am thankful. Together, we have six kids who have blessed us with eight grandchildren (and two more on the way). I am thankful that our kids are doing their best to raise their families in church, and teaching them about the things of God. I am thankful for the hugs, the kisses and the laughter that only a grandchild can bring. The “pitter-patter of tiny feet” has turned into a thundering, raging herd, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in this world. The toy-strewn playroom, the Disney movies blasting out of the DVD player and televisions, the running and yelling and playing are all the evidence that I need to tell me that love and laughter live in our home. I am thankful that my granddaughters love to pick my flowers for themselves, their parents and even me. And I am thankful that I have enough flowers for them to pick.
I am thankful that as a family we can get together to celebrate something – or nothing. I am thankful that most Sundays will find some or all of the family gathered in our home watching baseball, basketball or football and eating – and most of all, enjoying each other’s company.
I am thankful for friends – friends that we have known for years, and friends that are relatively new.
I may not be rich by the world’s standards, but God has blessed us with sufficiency – we always seem to have enough to “get by”.
I am thankful that I am rich in the things that matter – salvation, love, family and happy memories. And as the old saying goes “the more, the merrier”. I am thankful that my family is not yet finished growing.
God bless you this Thanksgiving season. Take time to be thankful. Tell God what you are thankful for. And tell your family and friends, too.