10th House on the Right: Gratitude

"Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good, His love endures Forever!" Ps 107:1

This is the bible verse the kiddos and I are learning right now. They are so cute when they sing it blesses my soul. I know I am "to be" thankful for all things including the not so good things, because often those things I perceived as "bad" God uses for good!

Voicesforlife.net

Just recently I experienced an eye opening morning. I saw things I had only "seen" on TV. I saw poverty, desperation, broken spirits,& mental illness more than that, I saw someone’s sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin and friend living on the streets. I saw a 3 yr old little boy in a brown jacket walking away from me, I won't soon forget. My heart breaks for him knowing that if he remains on the streets he will get caught in the mad web of street life. Seeing that child living in such away makes me understand why some amazing people choose to foster and adopt.

One fellow in his 20's (Mr. Smiles) as I will call him, was walking around with an awesome shirt that read "My life before Jesus (sad face) My life with Jesus ☻(happy face)". Mr. Smiles had a paper plate with "SMILE" written on it. He would smile at you and then hold up his sign. Later he walked by and said 214. I had to ask of course "What is 214?" It was how many smiles he had received that morning. Wow, all he had, was the clothes on his back & his backpack he carried. He was quietly walking around bring cheer to others. A smile is simple, it's free and it lifts the heart. Giving thanks to the Lord is hard to do without a smile. Jesus has brought "Mr. Smiles" joy and he is going around sharing that joy, by encouraging others to smile. Amazing!!!

http://magnoliastomountains.tumblr.com/

So, as I approach Thanksgiving and I offer thanks to the Lord for He is good, I’m going to slow down remember the simple things & SMILE. The best things in life are “Free” smiles, the view of a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the deep belly laugh of a child, the tight embrace from someone you love, the smell of a fresh flower, the grip of a small hand around yours, dancing in the rain, a kind word spoken, holding a newborn baby, & God’s incredible love he has for us. I knew before my “eye opening morning” I was blessed, but I had no idea how incredibly blessed I truly am. God is good!

The gift of forgiveness and Grace, offered to us through Jesus Christ must be accepted. It does you no good to take a gift and never open the nicely wrapped package. Jesus wants to walk in relationship with you and me. This relationship is what I missed for so long. I accepted the gift of salvation but didn’t understand the gift of relationship Jesus wanted to have with me. Sometimes I get too consumed with what is going on around me that I don’t realize I’ve not thanked Jesus for the blessings of that day. Slowing down & giving thanks helps me to relax and realize that whatever is so big at the moment isn’t that big of a deal in the light of eternity. I have a song I like to sing as I do mundane chores, that really lifts my heart.

Thank you Jesus,

Thank you, thank you Jesus!

Thank you Jesus,

Thank you, thank you Jesus!

Keeping it all in perspective is so critical! Remembering it’s not about me and that it’s about God is keeping it real. I have new people to pray for and a new gratitude for my life! So this season, join me in looking for the small things in life and praise God for them.