A Thanksgiving Challenge

 

A THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE

By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

What are you thankful for? Those of us living in the U.S. are very familiar with the Thanksgiving tradition.  Every year on the fourth Thursday in November, friends and families gather around the table to enjoy a harvest feast and offer thanks to God for the blessings of the preceding year.

It’s been an unusual and stressful year for us all.  So many things have cropped up that we never believed would happen in a million years.  Well, this year has been that one in a million—a year for the record books, but not necessarily in good ways.

So what are you thankful for?  Where do you see God’s generous hand of blessing?  Without remembering our blessings and thanking God for them, peace slips through our fingers, because peace and thankfulness are inextricably linked. Scripture encourages us:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ NIV

Beloved, if you are anxious, could it be that the difficulties of this year have stolen your thankfulness?

I’d like to challenge you to join me in making an early New Years resolution, and starting today, to make the year ahead one of purposeful daily thanksgiving — recounting our blessings, and thanking God for them.  While we are at it, let’s thank Him for not only the blessings of the past and present, but those that are yet to come. As we do, we will have more peace and see even more blessings to be thankful for, because thankfulness in itself brings a blessing.

I am starting now.  Will you join me?

Father, thank You for all the blessings that we have taken for granted.  Thank You for the faces around our tables, on our Zoom calls and in our hearts and prayers. We praise You for Your faithfulness in the past and present.  And knowing Your goodness, we thank You in advance for the blessings that are to come, and for the peace that guards our hearts and minds when we thank You for them. In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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