Attitude of Gratitude
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1Thessalonians 5:18
Gratitude, Maryland is a speck on the map right on the Chesapeake Bay. We have friends who had a home there, right on the water. When we would visit, our host always told us that we were to arrive with an “attitude of gratitude.” God’s creation of sun and water combined with the hospitality of friends made this an easy rule to follow, even with small children in tow.
As November comes to an end we face shortened daylight hours, making the days seem a little gray, Christmas shopping needing to get done really soon, and a few health challenges as we get older. At the same time, I am blessed in a myriad of ways. I am trying to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
The basics of my life are good and solid. I believe God’s promise never to leave nor forsake me. I know that He will be my refuge and my comfort when I need Him. He is my ever-present help in times of trouble. What more could a woman want from her God? In His righteous sovereignty, He is sufficient for all my needs.
I am grateful for his temporal blessings as well. God has abundantly provided for us with regard to personal comforts. He has given me a husband who loves and provides for me. I am grateful for my children and their spouses, and grandchildren, who remind me why God wants us to cherish the family. He has given us extended family on both sides who we love, more family. Add to this a family of believers who have become as close and important to us as our biological families, and I can see I have nothing to complain about.
Spiritually, God has blessed me with His Word, good teachers, and other women who want to know and live it. Iron does sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).
All in all, gray days or not, God has given me, and all of His people, many reasons to adopt an attitude of gratitude and to tell the world why: He sent His Son to give us a way to know and be known by the Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. He was a substitute, taking the punishment for my sin and yours. He is the only One who can redeem us from the grave by forgiving our sin. Above all of this, when we have a saving relationship with Him here, He offers us the hope of heaven forever to look forward to.
So, though we are to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18), at this time of Thanksgiving we should take the opportunity to get specific.
Do you have an “attitude of gratitude”? Will you leave me a comment giving God the glory for what you have to be thankful for?
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).
I’m thankful for my salvation, family, church family, friends and all the many ways God blesses me. When we get to heaven we will spend eternity praising God for all He’s done. Hallelujah!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Beth, and your family.
I am so grateful that God is always faithful to me, is looking out for my best and loves me more than I can fathom. Sometimes seeing things on Facebook and even church services of how grateful people are for everything in their life being just perfect can make me groan, as mine is not. However, I KNOW that God gives me joy and peace and a closer understanding of His love for me daily.
Hi Beth! I am so thankful this year for the Holy Spirit and His ability to work in our hearts. Jeremy and I are going through some uncertain and unsettling events right now and have been feeling the weight and stress of these uncertainties. But through everything, the Holy Spirit has been working in us, separately and together, to give us a deep unity of thought and feelings. I am so thankful that, while He allows big questions, changes, and challenges to come into our lives, He graciously provides His Spirit to equip us to move through them in a way that glorifies Him. I am also thankful that it reminds me to trust in Him and not in what I see.
I’m also thankful that He brought YOU into my life!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, dear Friend!
Lovely post my dear!
So glad I’m on your list. You are certainly on mine!
Lately, I am grateful for God’s kindness to me, and for the ability to live with both gratitude and hope.
I have a renewed understanding of all that I received and may receive from the sacrifice of Jesus. He continues to nudge me down the path of grace and healing to a place much closer to Him. As long as I
have Jesus, I have everything I need.
I am also especially grateful that our family will be together this weekend! That is a gift from Him!
See you then!
I thank God for the miracle of our first grandchild Catherine, when it looked like her parents may not be able to have children!
Well that is worthy of Thanksgiving! Congratulations!!
I am just seeing this five days later, so sorry. I pray that the Lord will give you clarity of thought and united hearts on whatever decisions you are making now. I would love to hear what you are learning and seeing sometime! I am thankful for you and your Mom, as well.
Amen Jill! I am trying to have less “Facebook” time and more real “Face” time. My heart stays a whole lot more pure!
What a blessing to know the love of the Lord!
Thanks Pat! He is truly worthy of all that Thanksgiving! What a dream to look forward to something so real and so hopeful!