One of my biggest fears in life is going into Thanksgiving without thankfulness.
This isn’t to say that sorrow or injustice can’t coexist with the pull to be thankful within this day-to-day struggle. But if the tug-of-war over gratitude and being an ingrate isn’t recognized, we could get lose on the first tug.
So, I wanted to share a few things that I am thankful for. My daughter, son-in-law and new grandson were over along with having my older grandchildren and oldest daughter stay for a sleepover during the pre-Thanksgiving weekend and it was the joy of my decade because we hadn’t all been together at home for a few years.
Such a reunion is easy to be thankful about. But the physical manifestation - that is, having our bodies in one place at the same time - is a spiritual reality even when we are 3,000 miles apart, which is the norm. That latter reality is a prime reason for thanks no matter the time or space.
I am also thankful because the pregnancy of my new devotional book, Portals to Heaven, is at last delivered. (To be released on Amazon in a few days - an invaluable holiday gift at a great value...hint, hint.)
The convergence of Thanksgiving, our family “reunion” and Portals To Heaven, made me wonder why this favor was all happening simultaneously. I had to guess it’s like this meals where the chef reduces all these incredible flavors in a small frying pan. Life does get concentrated and I guess God wanted to produce an excessive spiritual Thanksgiving “dinner” for me.
Beyond all of this, our pastor’s wife, Susan Wray, donated her kidney to an 11 year-old and they are both doing well. Susan gift is a portal to heaven in that she gave of her body that another might live.
Sometimes, the battle over Thanksgiving is easier than at other times.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: Finding thanksgiving in every day is possible. The greatest saints have written about it because they knew they could fall on the battlefield of ingratitude. Life’s good convergences and bad ones cannot win the day. The armament of thanksgiving is a literal lifesaver.
…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)