However, Thanksgiving is not just a day or a special meal. Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart.
Farmers have the right kind of attitude when it comes to giving thanks. They plow the land, they plant the seeds, they work the land and while they wait for the harvest...they give thanks. They thank God for the plenty that will come their way in a few months. We also need to give thanks, even when we haven't seen the harvest yet. We may not have everything in our house that we want, but we still need to have a thankful heart. Look at what David said about this...
"I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High"(Psalm 9:1-2, NLT)
God loves to hear our thanks! I would imagine that when we do not express our thanks to Him it is much the same as when our own children fall short on giving thanks to us for the things we do for them.
When my children were young, often times my day as a mother was full of running around doing things for them. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving to school, going to the store, making doctor appointments, baking cookies, helping them study for a test, paying for sports uniforms, taking them to their ball practices, taking them to McDonald's for lunch, etc, etc. And many times all of this was done with no thanks given. Sometimes I noticed the seemingly ungrateful heart of my young ens, but yet I kept on doing these selfless love acts over and over again, because I wanted to.
As great as my love is for my children, our Heavenly Fathers love is even greater. He does things for us because He wants to and His deeds are awesome. Even when we cannot see the harvest, we can know that He has a marvelous work in store. May we continually give thanks to Him for His goodness! Not just on Thanksgiving but may we give thanks with a very grateful, THANKFUL heart. Daily.
Today I am hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY, and I would encourage you to stop and give Him thanks today. Even for those things that you are still waiting to happen. God not only loves a cheerful giver but He cherishes a grateful heart! We would love to hear from you today, share your grateful heart with us here at TT by linking up your grateful post!
Awesome thankful post.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great reminder and I love that Psalm! Thank you for hosting this month!
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI have been away for a while. It's so good to be back and read of your thankful heart. I agree with you that thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart. Thanks for your encouraging sharing. I thank God for all His goodness and mercies to me daily. Take care and have a blessed day and week.
Warm regards,
Nancie
Hello Ms. Laurie. I'd like to thank you for reminding me the importance of thanking God for every blessing He has given us. I'm guilty of sometimes taking things for granted. I pray that from now on, I wouldn't forget to thank God for everything that happened in my day. :) God bless!
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I found the devotional today that I was looking for yesterday and when I was reading a few passages in it they were about exactly what you are talking about here - giving thanks, singing out to God with gratitude, finding holiness even in the mundane parts of motherhood and homekeeping. It appears God really wants me to get this message! And, even better, He has guided me to make time for prayer and spirituality again between the everyday stuff and sometimes in the midst of it. I wrote about my Mommy retreat Basket today, which is encouraging my kids and I to pause for prayer again in the mornings these past two days.
ReplyDeleteThere is no shortage of things to be thankful for. May God continue to open our eyes to His goodness.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Laurie!
Hi Laurie, Love this post, love your heart.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Noreen
Hello Laurie
ReplyDeleteThank you for this reminder that we must ALWAYS be grateful to God.. I sort of wrote that same thing myself. I have discovered that a heart that's full of gratitude has no room for discontent or bitterness. Counting the blessings, even the little ones, keep us from falling into that pit.
God bless!
I am not sure if I have visited your blog before... I used to do Thankful Thursdays on a regular basis, but fell away... Glad to be back :)
ReplyDelete"I will be filled with joy because of Him" I love that as it is a clear reminder that in the flesh there is nothing in me that would have a heart of thankfulness. I am thankful because He has put in me a desire to be thankful!
ReplyDelete