Thanksgiving Everyday

Wow, it has been almost 3 months since my last post. The life of a college student is very busy indeed with school, work, childrens ministry, projects, traveling to see my older sister play soccer at Dallas Baptist University and win NCAA and made it to the top sweet 16 in the nation!! There are so many things to be thankful for that I forget in my busy life. Thanksgving is a day where everyone can stop and realize what God has blessed us with that we take forgranted on a day-to-day basis. But we should live like Thanksgiving is EVERYDAY.

The first thing I'm thankful for is simply John 3:16"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Without Jesus' blood to cover my sins I am a "wretched man!" (Romans 7:24) and without Jesus I am doomed and "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
How stupid I am to forget that very fact each day? God gives me second chances each day to live for Him and most days I just get up and go on about my day without thanking Him. I'm SOOOO thankful for a persistant and patient God who never leaves me despite my wavering in doubts and faith.

Another thing I'm thankful is hard to understand. I'm thankful for the storms and the pain that God puts me through. I know what you're probably thinking, "Why on earth would you be thankful for pain and heartache?!" And I would agree with you at first except that recenlty God brought me through a pain. See, it is when I go through the greatest pain and heartache that I look up to God and depend on Him. Now we should all look up to God in the good times and not just the bad times, but lets face it, we as sinful humans do either of the two.

1) Praise God for His blessings or
2) Seek God to rescue us from our troubles.

It's a sad fact and something I struggle with as well. But sometimes God uses pain to get us back to Him so that we can praise Him through good and bad times. Here are some verses that help me when I'm in pain and trouble and heartache.

"He gives strength to the weary amd increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." -Isaiah 40:29-31

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them. He delivers them from all their troubles." -Psalm 34:17

"A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken." -Psalm 34:19-20

And my favorite,
"I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." -Psalm 34:4-5

There are SO MANY MORE verses in the bible that tell us of Gods faithful love and protection when we're in a time of trouble and pain. I can't use them all because then this post would be a novel long.

The next and last thing I'm going to talk about are the good times. God has blessed me so much that I don't realize because in this culture those things aren't much. When I went to Moldova this past summer (I'm going back summer 2012) I saw how blessed we are in America.

First, I'm thankful God decided to put me in a Christian, American family. I have two parents that care about my future and who put me and my sisters first when it comes to our needs. They taught me about God's love and God's wrath and showed me how to have a relationship with Him through Jesus.

Second, I'm thankful for my childhood. My mom made my childhood amazing and full of fun memories! I wish I could rewind back to those days and push pause (I hate change) but God has taught me through the years that change happens so He can bring us to a place where He wants us. So I had good times as a child, rough and happy times as a teen, and all because God has some great plans for me now and in the future. :)

Third, I'm thankful for my education (even though I complain about school and want OUT!) I'm thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to learn. Not everyone gets to go to school in America and definitely in other countries. I'm thankful that God has allowed my knowledge to grow, even though I'm not the smartest and I have to try harder than my sisters, God still blessed me with a brain that can learn.

Last thing I'm going to group together so I can end this forever-length post. I'm thankful for my car. I've gone a whole summer without one two summers ago and I have never taken forgranted my wheels and the privilege to drive myself ever again. I'm also thankful for my friends and the people that God has put in my life to help me grow closer to Him. He's put many best friends in my life for a reason. To name a few from long-ago to recent. Meghan, Stephanie, Ashely, Stevie, Rebekah, Allison, Laine, Rawan, Kimm, Jillian and Yvette and God is continually adding people in my life. I am sooo blessed for God guarding my heart through my teen years and even now.

To sum it all up, I'm thankful for everything. Especially the opportunity to work with kids and to serve God in America and in Moldova (and hopefully other countries, God-willing). I'm thankful for my church. I'm thankful and blessed for an amazing childrens ministry and college ministry that I get to be a part in. I'm thankful for the life that God has given me.

What are you thankful for?