As Thanksgiving comes upon us, I think we need to be reminded of all the bad stuff that has gone on around us this past few years and really thank God that we have survived it all. We should look at things in a way that turns bad into good....our thinking mainly.
My mother and my husband have been telling me how negative I have been lately and that it only seems like I talk about how terrible things are going with the government and how much worse they're going to get if something doesn't happen to stop it. I have gotten a little radical about how most people just seem to think it's going to correct itself without our intervention. I am negative about the trivial things people seem to care about instead of a federal government out of control. I am negative about preachers and teachers of the bible that trust that God is going to take care of everything just because we pray about it, and don't believe that we must rise up to actually do something, obeying Him and allowing Him to work through us. I am negative about the US not supporting Israel, therefor not believing the Bible. I am negative about a lot of things, but what they do not pay attention to is the fact that I know where I am going to end up....in eternity....with our Lord and Savior in heaven. It is the tribulation that I am negative towards not the outcome. So, I am trying to recognize some things that I am thankful for...
For instance, the shooting atrocity at Ft. Hood is an awful event, but we should be consentrating now on how thankful we are for the survivors and that the attack has brought about an investigation to help prevent another one. We could be thankful that this was only one terrorist and that the carnage was limited to as few as it was.
I am thankful for my husband, who really is my better half, and my sons and their families, even though I don't see them nearly as much as I would like. I am thankful for the rest of my family, as well, who are always there for me.
I am thankful for a God that cares so much for me that He made a way for me to spend eternity with Him in spite of my sins...who is always there for me even when I'm not there for Him...who allows me to come directly into His presence as His daughter even if it's just to rest there.....
We, as a nation, should be thankful for our freedoms while we still have them. (Oops, that was a little negative!) We should be thankful for people like Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and others that have the guts to speak out against the Liberals and Socialists. We should be thankful that there are more and more people willing to take a stand for the preservation of and a return to the founding principles of our country.
We should be thankful to organizations such as Fox News, World News Daily and the Heritage Foundation that are not afraid of the government or big business or the UN or other forces that would try to control the news media. We should be thankful to organizations such as the National Rifle Association that fight so hard to keep our right to bear arms in tact; the Thomas Moore Law Center, Wallbuilders, and the Don't Tear Me Down group for fighting to get God back into the government and keep our war memorials in tact; the Catholic Church for threatening to withdraw all social services from D.C. unless they drop plans for a gay marriage bill; and many more.
We should be thankful for all of the little things that make so much of a difference in our lives, like good friends, a hot cup of coffee, sunshine warming our faces, birds singing, snuggling with our children, hearing nice words spoken, being able to praise our God, watching a sunset, having a car to drive, a house to shelter us and a job to pay for them, having a selection of fresh vegetables to choose from, finding a good recipe, sharing a milkshake with our spouse, living beside good neighbors, having time to spend with each other, our health, computer programs that allow us to share our lives, love and thoughts, etc.....you add to the list...
So, in this time of giving thanks, let us turn to the brighter side of things and find good in all situations.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Well my dear friend this is another post that brings my emotions to a high level. I have heard the same word many times that I am negative about many things. It may be that those who hear what I speak are the negative ones. In many cases they are silent and think that everything will just go away or as in days past someone will just sweep it under the rug so the problems will just go away. Your point about those believing that God will just take care of it strikes me with a thought. God always uses people to accomplish His plan - He doesn't need us but he uses us as the hands and feet to do as He directs. That to me also includes our mouths. We were given a voice to speak yet the silence of many is deafening. In His word there are many examples of Him looking for a remnant to raise their voices to Him in a cry for mercy and He heard the voices and had mercy. Sometimes I wonder if we have lost this opportunity in America and the world. We have taken God out of so many aspects of the public sector and only look to Him in a time such as we are living right now. Many people have been saying to pray II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. I have said many times to others that as we look at the church today as it being so divided and having those standing behind the pulpit not preaching the word in completeness but selectively speaking messages to tickle ears and make people feel good. God is a gentleman and if He isn't invited He won't impose His will upon any people including those who profess to be His yet walk in the world except on Sundays. I could go on for some time yet will close saying that words cannot express the depth of my being thankful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His word says He wants us to live abundantly and my witness and testimony speaks to the fact that He blesses greater than I could ever imagine. I am a son of the Living God and my Father loves me more than I could ever imagine. I hope your Thanksgiving was a time of giving thanks to the only One who deserves those words to be spoken.
ReplyDeleteYour friend Bob