Thankfulness: The finale!

But really, it should never end. Our thankfulness will go on and on into eternity! Thank you, Lord!!

#6 Way being thankful helps when our world just doesn't seem right:

As soon as you are thankful, your human relationships get healthier because they are shaped by faith. You become more dependent on God and less demanding of others.

Often we are demanding and judgmental with others, fearful and easily hurt because we are controlled by our relationships with people, instead of focusing first on our relationship with God. We always have to start with the Lord and His redemptive purposes before we think about the people in a particular situation. If you can understand God's good purposes for you, what you expect of people and what you fear about them both diminish. As you rest in the Lord, your heart is softened and strengthened at the same time. This gives you a greater strength to work through hard things, and a greater desire and ability to love and serve others.

My thankful list for today:
1. For my pastor, Arie, who preached a timely and timeless message on humility yesterday. I needed to hear it; I always need to hear it.
2. For my Sr. pastor's wife, Daryl, who courageously testified through tears of God's strength in her weakness, of God's mercy and blessing in a season when she anticipated and experienced hardship, and who perseveres in doing good to her husband and family when anyone would more readily throw in the towel. Thank you, Daryl, for your example!
3. The opportunity to pray for a friend this morning.
4. The privilege of caring for and comforting all the men in my humble abode while they are sick.
5. An honest and affordable mechanic who has been spending a lot of his own time working on our Honda's. Thank you, Lord, for Ken!
6. The kind compliment my husband paid me this morning via email.
7. A nice warm shower that I'm about to take. :)