Blessings – they are there in the everyday routines of life. But we seldom see them because we are so caught up in our jobs and work and worries. In fact, we seldom find time to spend any time with a God who has blessed us in so many ways.
Sometimes in our tragedies and sorrows we think there is nothing for which to be thankful. Yet I have found it is precisely in my tragedies and sorrows where I have found God waiting to provide comfort, strength and hope.
“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.”*
I am blessed because every day I have the freedom to make choices. I can make them by myself or I can choose to make them in harmony with God’s Word.
“That’s right – you don’t go off on your own. You walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.”*
As I give thanks this Thanksgiving for all of those who have shed their blood to keep this country free I am humbled by their sacrifice. I give thanks to God who has blessed our nation and our freedom.
“Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.”*
May your Thanksgiving be filled with remembrances of all the blessings God has given us as a nation and to each of us personally. May you find in those remembrances the strength to meet tomorrow’s challenges, the peace we seek as we walk with God, and the hope for a future where God’s love is more evident than man’s hatred for one another.
Marlene Anderson
*The scripture quoted and highlighted is from Psalm 119, The Message, copyright 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.