Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!
Susie Larson here...
I pray this note finds you well.
To those visiting I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my goal is to bless and nourish your soul along the way.
I love this holiday season. For me, it's a time of reflection and remembrance. For many years our lives were marked by crisis and deep character cleansing.
But God has and is restoring every lost thing.
One day, many years ago, I pushed a heavy cart of groceries through the parking lot. I made sure my three little boys each hand a hand on the cart so I could keep an eye on them.
Once we loaded the groceries in the car and I buckled the boys in their seats, I slid into the driver's seat, put my forehead on the steering wheel, and prayed, "Oh, Lord, how can I ever thank you enough? We have groceries! We have choices about what to eat. We can go to our cupboards and find food there. Oh, God, I thank you for your goodness to us."
I looked over my shoulder to see my three little boys with heads bowed and hands folded in prayer.
The reality was that we had tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. The reality was that our house was falling apart and we had no money to fix it. The reality was that my husband was working two and three jobs and I was battling a disease while trying to care for three active boys.
But the superior reality was that God was on His throne and totally with us in that place of desperation. And when I bowed my head to thank Him for His provision, our car became a sacred place, and I knew my boys were affected by His presence that day.
A different day we found ourselves at the doctor's office. One of my son's had an ear infection. When we got out to the car, my prayer went something like this, "Father in Heaven, I thank you for providing us with insurance. Thank you for a simple, treatable diagnosis. Thank you for taking such good care of us."
Every time I thanked the Lord in front of my kids, I felt the heaviness of our situation lift. In fact, I now understand that my lessons in gratitude were the very things that made my kids feel that all was well in their world.
I always found it curious that they didn't have a clue that we were in the crises of our lives. Now I know that their lives were full, because my heart was full of thanksgiving.
Not that I always did it right; on the contrary. I had my cynical, frustrated days like everyone else, but whenever I returned to praise and gratitude, the climate around me changed.
Have you ever made the choice to forgive someone long before they even knew what their offense cost you?
Isn't it grueling at times to forgive and love and bless someone when they still have no clue how deeply they've wounded you?
The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The longer I walk with Him and the more I grow to love Him, the more I understand that I really don't understand just what my sin cost Him (or others, for that matter). In fact, I submit that none of us will really know the depth and impact of our sin nor the miracle of having it wiped away, until we see Jesus face to face.
When I was first saved as a teenager, I was thankful for salvation. But now I know in the depths of my soul that every gift comes from His hand.
We all have reasons for praise this season.
No matter if you're in a season of favor, or one of small offerings, God's promises are true for you and His provision is available to you.
Most of us have running water, a roof over our heads, people to love us, and food to nourish our bodies. If you own a computer you are considered to be in the upper one percent of the wealthiest people in the world.
Even when we are poor in material things, we are rich in the Lord. And most of us are far more wealthy than we know.
God loves it when we praise Him. The Bible says He draws near to listen when we thank Him.
It matters if we're grateful.
We shape our children's perspective by the perspective we choose.
Choose thankfulness and share your grateful heart with others, especially your children.
Be blessed this holiday season.
Until next week~