Why do we give thanks?

This week my husband and I attended a training workshop every morning related to our ministry with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Although it seemed important for me to go, I really did not want to be there.  I find sitting that long is hard on my body and I had plenty of other things I would rather have been doing.

Since I didn't have a lot of time and energy for anything else, I did not blog my thankfulnesses. In fact I didn't even think my thankfulnesses, because I wasn't thankful!

Today the last session was on, guess what--gratitude!

It was a good reminder and encouragement to keep going with this. I wonder, maybe if I had pushed myself to think about and express my gratitude in my blog this week, maybe I would have felt grateful in spite of the workshop and even had more energy.

In that last session the leader asked, "Why do we give thanks?" Here are some of the answers people gave:

•  God instructed us to
•  It helps me not take things for granted
•  It is central to the rest of life –in Romans, chapter 1, it shows that a lack of thankfulness leads to a very negative downward spiral. Original sin is possibly even a result of lack of gratitude—Adam and Eve focused on the one thing they did not have--fruit from the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil"--and forgot to be thankful for the fruit from all the other trees they did have.
• Expressing gratitude for things others do for us helps maintain and even create relationship
• Makes me more grateful when I express gratitude and then I usually start to notice other things to be thankful for
• Gives joy for the day
• Can break a worry "train of thought." Not possible to worry at same time as being thankful
• Reminds me of God’s faithfulness

The leader said that "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

What are some things you are thankful for? Please leave comments telling of something you are thankful for:
 

Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday

This morning we heard from the new director of our local crisis pregnancy center. It was a beautiful and challenging presentation.

I'm thankful:
1. for the 81 babies who were saved this past year through the ministry of our local crisis pregnancy center (Sound Options Pregnancy Services --soon to be called Southwest Pregnancy Services).

2. that God cares about widows and orphans and the poor--James 1:27

3. that we are all made in God's image and are precious to Him. Genesis 1:26; 9:5-6

4. that "God created my inmost being" and "knit me together in my Mother's womb... I am fearfully and wonderfully made!"--Psalm 139:13-14

5. That "all the days ordained for me were written in [His] book before one of them came to be"--Psalm 139:16

Being thankful helps prevent discouragement

I'm thankful,

1. John is scanning another box full of papers! Yay! This time Bible study notes and articles on various topics. A number of years ago I carefully organized them into hanging files arranged by topic. They have since sat untouched in John's closet! But we can't bring ourselves to just pitch them into the recycle bin--what if we want them some day? :-/ So John is scanning them. This has the added benefit of freeing up the hanging file folders for other things. There will also be more space in John's closet. I am hoping (against hope) that it might then have the affect of helping him to get better organized and tidy away some of the clutter in his room! But now I'm meddling.

2. This morning at breakfast I read some sermon notes on discouragement that were unearthed by the scanning project. One of the ten causes of discouragement listed is "failing to be thankful for small things." A nice little encouragement that I am on the right track :-)

3. It also said being too easily influenced by others is another cause. Also a timely reminder since I tend toward that weakness. In fact was feeling it's influence today especially.

4. Tonight we finally used up the Pei Wei gift card! --we actually got there and remembered to use it once there!

5. The food at PW was much better than it has been for a while! My new favorite thing is their Gluten Free Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls--yum!!

Please feel free to leave comments and tell some things you are thankful for!

"Thank" in Bible 133 times

Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

The Psalmist then recounts various scenarios when the people suffered afflictions: some wandered in desert wastelands, hungry and thirsty; some were prisoners sitting in darkness bound in iron chains; some were subjected to slave labor; some were pushed to their wits end during perilous storms at sea.

In two of these scenarios their afflictions were punishment for their rebellious ways (v. 10-12, 17-18). In the other two they were apparently just experiencing dangers of ordinary life (v. 4-5, 23-27). In each case, however, they "cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress." The Psalmist then exhorts, "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men." This pattern repeats four times in this chapter. He also adds additional instructions in verse 22, "Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy." And in verse 32 he says, "Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders."

"Give thanks" is repeated five times in this chapter alone --*thank* occurs 133 times in the Bible!  I just looked it up on Biblica.com (That includes every occurrence including: thanks, thankfulness, thanksgiving.) I guess it's pretty important!

I'm thankful:

1. That the crew of the boat who were detained by the Iranians were safely released (whatever the motivations of the Iranians we can at least be very thankful the crew are safe!)

2.  for God's unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men (yes, that includes women too!)

3. I finally got my Christmas decorations taken down and put away

4. and a few other things done that I had been procrastinating

5. our garden club went to a retirement village this week and helped residents make flower arrangements. I felt a little clueless but in the end was able to help one of the ladies make a pretty arrangement.

Life is short

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Lord, help me not to waste precious time on fear, worry, anxiety or fretting. Help me learn to focus on you, Jesus. To still my mind and heart, and listen. To pray what you want. To have a heart of thankfulness and praise.

"Lord you have been our dwelling place through out all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:1-2

I'm thankful:
1. Headaches of last week are gone.
2. Excruciating leg and foot cramps have also stopped
3. We made several meals to restock the freezer
4. God does not give us what our sins deserve! His mercies are new every morning!
5. Great is Your faithfulness O Lord!

Maybe it's just hormones

I'm thankful:

1. the white turkey chili i made last night turned out better than i expected--despite my leaving out the garlic and cayenne pepper.

2. so far no digestive disturbances from the "hatch" green chilies i put in it (they definitely have more heat than the regular mild canned green chilies i have used in the past.)

3. my loving husband finished washing the rest of the dishes last night after i went to bed.

4. i made another batch of bone broth yesterday (started the afternoon before) with leftover turkey bones. The timing was unexpectedly helpful as i needed more for the chili than i expected.

5. Maybe I'm not crazy after all, and i suspect the headaches, foot cramps, and clumsiness this week are likely mainly hormonal--and not early onset dementia or Parkinson's!! What a relief! (i won't mention why I think that here. If you really want to know you can email me ;-) (since my Mom developed both dementia and Parkinson's, I have occasionally worried I might be getting them too :-(

Even in the mully-grubs

Feeling crabby and glum this morning. So I reminded myself to try to find things to be thankful for in the middle of it:

I am thankful:
1. although my tooth is still cold sensitive at least it's not heat sensitive too (at least not as much :/).

2. at least we do have the dried beans and the means to cook them-- (but I decided today I am so done with using dried beans! It's canned for me from now on! They are so much easier. I just don't have the time and energy to mess with the dried ones! John never does I notice--whenever he makes chili he always buys the canned ones!)

3. at least i can stand at the sink and do dishes! A year-and-a-half ago my feet were giving so much trouble I couldn't do that.

4. We do have the food to make the dishes dirty, and the water and detergent to wash them with!

5. I had a fun time with L yesterday at Panera. (that one is easy to be thankful for :-)