Blessed and Don't Know It? Pt. III

I may be a little early for my "Thanksgiving" post, but that's the whole point isn't it? Each and everyday is a gift from God- it is ours to do with it what we choose. I choose to be thankful this day. Allow me to start with something simple- choices. That's right, I'm thankful to have the ability to choose.

We make so many choices each and every day. Some people may not be so blessed to be in the enviable position of choice. For instance, this morning I chose what time to wake up (within reason), I chose my breakfast, my coffee (really thankful), my television channel and my place of worship. Following that, I chose my place to eat lunch- and the list goes on. I don't want to allow the casual everyday blessings of choice to turn into expectations - you know the spirit of entitlement that is so pervasive in our culture.

You know God is into choices as well. In fact in His word He says to "Choose this day whom you will serve... God chose to give of His one and Only Son because of His love for us.

Life is really all about choices. Make them wise, make them count and know that some count for eternity.

Gotta' go, gonna' run some errands for Thanksgiving- no doubt stores will have a lot of choices. I hope to avoid the dreaded paper or plastic choice at the grocery store.

Blessed and Don't Know It? Pt. II

Excuse me-- the complaint department starts in the back. Way back. Get back-Satan. The whole idea of complaining is annoying. Yet I have found myself many times in the complaint line- a steady stream of other complainers lined up with me. What I want to focus on in todays blog is the process of cultivating a thankful heart. Put another way, a heart FULL of thanks. How appropriate to mention as we are now only days away from recognizing "Thanksgiving" as an official holiday.

So how do we cultivate a thankful heart- and carry it beyond turkey, shopping, family and football?

First, focus on what you have and NOT what you don't have. We live in a culture that specializes in creating need- consumer-based me'ism. Reminds me of the seagulls in "Finding Nemo"- Mine, mine, mine, mine!! A heart full of contentment does not focus on what you don't have.

Second, recognize who is the giver- seek the giver not the gift. God is the source of all our blessings, provisions and stuff. Remember He gave you a sound mind and/or a good back to earn the income to get the stuff to begin with. Acknowledge and thank the Lord regularly.

Third, when it comes to a thankful heart and being blessed- pay it forward. Let it be contagious. Practice acts of kindness. It is better to give than to receive. Make it your ambition to be a blessing to others around you daily!

I am going to try to make it through the day without complaining. How bout' you. After all- we are blessed and may not know it. Boycott the complaint line and make it a great day!

Excuse Me- Did Anybody See Where The Last 10 Months Went?

It's a dead giveaway that the year is almost over when Wal-Mart clears out massive sections of store space- skips over Thanksgiving and jumps right into the Santa Claus clad consumerism of Christmas "stuff" for sale.

This year has not only passed by so quickly but also had dealt some real challenging changes and even been a year of significant transition. So, that's what I want to talk about- transition- change.

My Pastor says, "You can change without growth but you can't grow without change". I think I agree with that saying. Most change and transition though resisted by many is actually a good thing. So I want my perspective to be good- godly and thankful. No doubt the last ten months have flown by like a Lamborghini on the autobahn and we will barely blink and the calendar will read 2010.

Maybe you can relate to the change and transition I'm talking about. Upon further investigation the word transition is likened unto these other words; passage, transformation, conversion, shift, progress, development. Rest assured that God wants to be included in your transition. Whether it's a job, career, relationship, health or even church life one thing remains constant and that is the abiding love and guidance of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you Lord for your goodness, patience and provision during these seasons of our lives.

May He prove to be your rock, refuge and strong tower by which we stand.

See you in the aisle of the local Wal-Mart.