Giving Thanks!

Giving Thanks!

I am about to get to 1000! 

 1000 things I have written in a journal that I am thankful for. 

Ann Voskamp from Holy Experience

has written a book, one thousand gifts,

 about how it changed her life to write down 1000 things she is thankful for. 

 She challenges everyone to do it.

 It's been a challenge, that was harder and took much longer than I wish to admit.

 You would think I could write 1000 things A DAY I am thankful for. 

 But to remain FAITHFUL, and to REMEMBER, and then to take the TIME to write it down has resulted in it taking longer than I was hoping.

  How pathetic that THOSE are the reasons it has taken several months to log in 1000 things I'm grateful for.

I am thankful to God  for the things that I have written down.  I even wrote a few things that I don't necessarily enjoy, but am thankful for them because it says in His Word to do this.  It's actually the hardest things in life, the things that are the hardest to be thankful for, that usually is the stuff that grows us and changes us the most.
 It's usually these hard situations or difficult relationships that draw us nearer to Him.  So, for that
 I AM GENUINELY THANKFUL. 

Philippians 4:6

English Standard Version (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I was thinking of the fact that I know some Christians that don't seem grateful AT ALL, for anything.

  They are anxious and disgruntled with life...even though they have  been given hope and the gift of eternal life with our Lord and Savior in heaven. 

 What could be better than that??

Then I know  people that are not Christians and they are very grateful people.  They are kind and thankful for everything, they just haven't learned how to direct that gratitude to God. (((yet)))

I feel like "thanksgiving" was one of the things the Lord is teaching me and dealing with me on right now and here's the picture I got in my head of what grateful and ungrateful people look like, as I was talking to the Lord about it:

There is a crowd of people headed for the door of a really good popular restaurant.  A kind gentleman grabs the door and opens it.  He opens it and holds it open for all the people that are streaming through it.
  Some say thank you...some don't.  

Some are in such a hurry or so anxious about getting into the restaurant that they don't even notice the nice man holding the door open for them.  Some may even know him, but they didn't take the time to thank him, and  they missed the chance to visit with their friend because they didn't even acknowledge him.

  Then there are some that take the time to say thank you and also make eye contact with him and shoot him a smile because they realize they know him.  

Then there are those that say thank you, but, to no one in particular, they are just having good manners and are in the habit of saying thank you. 

 Then there is this kind gentleman's  own family..they go through the same door, tell him thank you with a smile and eye contact and THEN they wait for him to get done holding the door before they are  even seated at the restaurant because they would not want to miss his company.  They know His presence is the best part of the whole meal. 

At this table, there is so much joy and good food and great conversation and the kind man that held the door for everyone...also pays for the whole meal.

They all got the same thing.

The door was held for everyone the same way, by the same nice man, and they all responded differently. 

Matthew 5:45

English Standard Version (ESV)

45  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

I want to be the one to say thank you and make eye contact and shoot a smile at the kind man holding the door and then I want to sit at His table and have conversation and a meal with this kind man. 

This kind man is a picture of God...He sends rains on the just and the unjust...we all breathe the same air that HE gave to us...some are thankful, some are not, some know him and some don't....some know Him and are thankful and enjoy

THE GIFTS FROM GOD AS WELL AS THE GIFT GIVER! 

James 1:17-18

English Standard Version (ESV)

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[a] 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.