Thanksgiving

Thankful people are joy filled people.

I wonder sometimes if we realize the power of hearts full of gratitude.  It does something for our spirits that even seeps into the lives of the people we live and work with.

As I have been thinking about gratefulness, I have been struck again that grateful people don't just remember the good times.  It seems like if you were thankful, you would sit home creating lists of blessings.  "I'm thankful for mom and dad and the Bible and my dog..."

Thankful people take time to remember the bad times.  They dwell on the moments of terror and anguish when they weren't certain whether they were going to pull through.

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock , and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:  many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord."  Psalm 40:2,3

David was a poet and poets often wax metaphorical about the trials of their past.  I suppose if you are to specific, maybe your times of stress don't touch as many people's lives.  In these couple of verses, we find a wonderful pathway to thankfulness.

The pathway begins with the horrible pit and miry clay.  These memories of a dark time when we were unable to save ourselves are important because they let us feel again have the great the salvation we received was.  

The next step on the path is to realize where we are at today.  David says that he is standing on a rock.  There is firm soil beneath his feet, even though at one time his feet were trapped in quicksand.  This is the beginning of thanksgiving.  We are not perfect nor are our circumstances perfect, but we can see growth and divine fingers at work in our lives and that is a blessing.

The final step is to let this realized blessing spill out in words of praise.  God is good!  He has been working with us all of the time and we have to let the world know.

Grateful hearts have to share their gratitude with those around.

I pray that each of us would take this path on a daily basis.  For, as we let our minds move from the miry clay to the solid rock, we will not be able to avoid lifting our voices to say how great our God truly is!