Happy Thanksgiving! "...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I Thessalonians 5:18

"You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water, you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." ~Psalm 65:8:13

I have an abundance of blessings for which to be thankful; salvation, two amazing parents, a sister for a best friend, a supportive extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, & cousins, many friends who are continual sources of encouragement & laughter, good health, my dogs, a home, a college education, food, clothing, books, mechanical pencils, a vehicle, a job, pillows, hot chocolate, the time and resources to help people, trees, mountains, electricity, clean running water, peanut butter...the list is endless.

I do not deserve anything, and yet God continues to shower His blessings on me in innumerable ways. Even with that realization, I am oftentimes so selfish and unwilling to embrace the life to which Christ calls me; "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." ~ I Timothy 6:17-19

True life is generosity, sharing, giving, caring for the needs of others, and trusting in the One who created life. Proverbs 11:24 sums up what I have found to be true, yet still struggle to implement in my life; "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer, another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want." When my hands clutch too tightly around possessions, money, and time, there is very little, if any, room for compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, and generosity. I find myself irritated by people and events that 'threaten' my peace of mind and sense of stability, both financial and otherwise. How foolish of me to behave as if the possessions, money, and time really belonged to me! I myself belong to God, so it stands to reason that everything I have been blessed with is also His. He is the one who grants me life and the resources I enjoy. I pray that God will help me remember the meaning of "that which is truly life".