Thankfulness: Part 5

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

As soon as you are thankful, you start to see not only your situation but yourself--your own heart--through God's eyes. For the Christian, this means that you learn how to apply what Jesus has done to the specifics of your life.

For example, I Peter 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." That is the big truth; next comes God's personal understanding of your needs and his plans for your growth. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (I Peter 1:6,7).

When you have a thankful heart, you affirm that, because of Jesus, God is up to something good in your life. When you do that, have you ever noticed that you can admit you are weak, but still feel safe? That you can confess your sin, and be confident of God's forgiveness? You are humbled, but not shamed. You are more willing to be taught and corrected because you can see God's loving intent behind it (James 1:2-4).

My thankful list today:
1. a faithful and giving friend who took the boys for a couple hours so that I could have lunch with some caregroup ladies.
2. the birth of Luke Steven Chambers!!!
3. sales on some special food items I needed to make an appetizer for caregroup this week.
4. the sunshine. What mental health it brings my way!!
5. my mom, born (i won't publicly say how many years ago) today! Thank you, Lord, for my ma!