Thankful For...

Psalm 103:1-5 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things  so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting   the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

    and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. I am already planning my meal, straightening the house and making preparations for the family to come and celebrate. But, more than that, I need to prepare my heart. I hear people say that we should not decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving has had it’s due. But in my mind, Thanksgiving is a wonderful precursor to Christmas. What better way to start the Christmas season than with a grateful heart?

Maybe it’s my “advanced” age, but the older I get the more I see God’s hand in everything. The more I realize how much I truly have to be grateful for.

During worship last Sunday, Treva asked, “what are you thankful for? I’ll go first, my health”. We came to this church at the beginning of Covid. Although Covid was not a real issue for me, I was dealing with some other things and since then, I have had new health issues. But I have found that in the worst of it, God gave me joy and thanksgiving. That’s a gift. I couldn’t have mustered those on my own.

Lord, your gifts to us are endless. Help us to be open to seeing them every day! Amen!

Shirlene Peterson