A Season of Thankfulness

Over at A Place Called Simplicity, Linny has done a post on a season of rest and reflections (Selah With Us This Christmas) of the awesome things God has done for us all over the past year in 2013. 

This time of year is a very special time of year.  When growing up my family had many traditions that we did from Thanksgiving all the way thru the New Year.  It was a time of feasting, seeing relatives we only saw a few times a year, twinkling lights, receiving cards thru the mail from all over the country and exchanging of gifts. 

Even though I have grown up and Tim and I have our own convictions and traditions we do, this time of year still brings back all those happy feelings and very special memories.  But most of all a feeling of great, overwhelmingly, deeply felt, emotions of thankfulness.  Starting at Thanksgiving time, I spend a great deal of time thinking about all that the Lord has done for us the past year.  All the times He provided and helped us.  All the harder things we went thru but He faithfully carried us thru and we made it around again to this time of year. 

A season of thankfulness to Him.  Thankful for all of our health this past year and for my dad and his continued good health.  Thankful for friends and family.  Thankful that Elizabeth went another year without needing open heart surgery and that none of the children had any hospital stays this past year.  No one needed stitches or had a broken bone.  That we had the finances to fix vans when they broke down.  That when lightning struck the house, no one was hurt, our home was ok and the insurance replaced all the electronics and wiring that needed replaced.  Elizabeth was hooked up to her pulse oxygen machine that night and everything electronic in that room got fried but not her pulse Ox machine and she was ok!  Glory to God!  We are so grateful that Tim has a good job.   That every time we thought we could not meet our monthly expenses God provided in a huge way for us and we were able to meet them all.  There is just so much to be thankful for.  God is truly so very good to us all.

We always have had food on the table and a roof over our heads.  Vehicles to drive and even though we have to be careful how much we go out, we have been able to afford the gas to put in them.

Thanksgiving time starts these thoughts and ponderings.  While we prepare our huge feast I am always so grateful that we are privileged to have the finances to buy the provisions to have the beautiful and delicious meal we put together.  Every year the economy gets worse and worse and I wonder if one year we might not be able to celebrate in such a way and am grateful for this year that we can.

As we fellowship and eat our way through Thanksgiving day and head toward Christmas we are busy with addressing envelopes and writing our yearly holiday letter, that we mail out.  There are gifts to buy for those that celebrate this time of year, celebrations to attend and concerts to go and see.   There is a lot of baking to do as we give baked goods out to many people we know.  But throughout this season we are just so grateful.  As we see nativities around, our minds are drawn to the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  How he left perfect heaven and came to earth to live, suffer and die for us.  There is nothing in this world to compare with this gift.  Thank you God.

As we then move on toward the New Year we are full of anticipation and excitement for the approaching new year.  A year that we don’t know what it holds.  A year we ask for Gods grace upon.  Another year we are so very grateful for.  Thank you God you are so worthy to be Praised! 

Psalm 8:1  O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

 

Philippians 2:9-11  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

May all of us reflect on the faithfulness and provisions of God, giving Him thanks throughout this holiday season for all things!

Blessings, 

susan