Thanksgiving is almost upon us! Unlike last year, many of us will have the opportunity to spend the day with loved ones, sharing a gorgeous meal from the bounty of this year’s harvest. This special day is also a time to give thanks to God for the goodness of our lives, for all the innumerable blessings God sends our way.
I realize, that some of you may not feel very thankful today. Life may be hard right now for you. It may be hard to be grateful when we are ill or grieving, struggling with certain situations, or troubled by events in our lives or in the world around us. I urge you not to feel guilty about this.
God does not expect us to turn our feelings off and on like a light switch. In difficult times we may have a lot of different feelings. At such times they are neither right nor wrong, they just are. I pray that God will provide you comfort and strength until the day comes (and it will) when you will be able, once again, to know of God’s blessings in your life, and from that knowledge to give God thanks and praise.
Here are a few quotes about gratitude that may inspire you during tough times:
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow – Melody Beattie
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around - Willie Nelson
The root of joy is gratefulness – David Steindel-Rast
There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy. - Ralph H. Blum
Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things - Rhonda Byrne
Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. – Alice Walker
At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us - Albert Schweitzer
Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savouring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented - Sonia Lyubamirsky
Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible - Rabbi Harold Kushner
The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see – Mary Davis
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful - St. Paul
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever – Psalm 107:1
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, each and every one of you!! I give God thanks for YOU --- for your faithfulness, your support of the church, and most importantly for who you are and the gift you are to those you love and to the wider community of which you are a part.
Rev. Bob
-
Location