These are some things I am thankful for but I wanted to think deeper with you as to WHY they are so special and maybe deepen our sense of thankfulness for GRACE today. So think with me for a minute…
-The sun could rise and set from blue to black but God gives us the awe-inspiring gift of sunrises and sunsets with colors to often take our breath away
-Speaking of which, nothing says we have to see in color, but God gave us the ability to see the spectrum of the rainbow and I enjoy color so much in every aspect of my life
-We could be nourished out of routine, from a vitamin or a syringe or something, but God gave us an unending palette of foods and the sense of taste and smell to enjoy food and drink. Lord let me not abuse this gift in gluttony but savor it for the privilege it is. (Ecclesiastes 5:18)
-God could have left Adam alone in the garden. He could have created humans to reproduce asexually, like plants or something, but instead he gave us the joy of intimacy and the blessing of creating a family unit. (Ecclesiastes 9:9) Not only am I thankful for my sweet husband and awesome parents and siblings, but thankful that they are in my life period. It is not overlooked that some do not have these people in their life and their presence is truly a blessing I fully appreciate and thank God for.
-The earth could sit still and the sun could rotate equidistantly and we would never have seasons. I am so thankful to experience the warmth of a summer day, the changing of leaves in autumn, the pure majestic snow of winter and the new life that is spring. I see these seasons metaphorically in life and the display in nature resonates deep within. Thankful today for the circle of life we experience every year.
I think I could go on for a long time but I will simplify to just a few more things in list form that I thank God for the joy of…
-getting lost in a good book. We could have communicated by verbal language only, but God gave us the ability to read and write
- hot showers that could have been cold
- the ability to have our thirst quenched by a cool clean glass of water thus to know what it is to thirst, physically as well as spiritually, and to have that thirst satisfied (John 7:37)
-laughter, which never even had to exist
-the purring of cats and the companionship of pets… think animals could have stayed in the wild, right?
-the beauty of science and math to help our brains understand all of God’s wonders and know that He is a God of order and not disorder (1Corinthians 14:33)
-best friends, when again, God could have created us to be independent and alone but he gave us friends to share our joys and lessen our sorrows (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
-candlelight, instead of a world of darkness
-the ocean, instead of an earth made only of land (photo from Tiffany Weaver Photography)
-the stars, instead of a sky that could have easily just been black
-the details of our bodies! Contemplate hands and fingers and all the functions they perform, eyebrows to keep sweat out of our eyes, strong legs to run and walk and dance, kidneys and livers to keep our bodies clean of toxins… this could be quite a long list! What a gift God has given us. (1Cor. 6:19)
-And yet in all that, we have a body but we ARE a soul (CS Lewis). Thankful that God has created us for eternity, to enjoy Him forever in a new Heaven and a new Earth (Revelations 21) that I cannot yet concept how amazing that will be, but the thought of it brings me joyful excitement.
-And in fact, I have never deserved to be in the presence of God. I have never deserved for Him to hear my prayers, or love me, or protect me. But Christ became my righteousness and I have been justified freely by His grace. (Romans 3:24) He could have left me on my own in my misery and ignorance and selfish but now I belong to God forever. This grace is a true Thanksgiving feast for my soul.
Hoping you will be mindful of the little things today, that you can thank God for all the beautiful undeserved gifts of grace He has given us to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving friends!
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