Half-Full

  Half-Full

Prayers of thanksgiving give glory to God. Thanksgiving acknowledges that all of our blessings are a gift from God. "Every good and perfect gift is from above". Thanksgiving also changes our outlook on things. When I give thanks my "glass half-empty" view quickly changes to the "glass half-full" view. Sometimes it may seem that there isn't anything to be thankful for. But there are so many things to be thankful for.

 I have found that the perfect place to begin is by thanking God for our salvation. We can thank Him for the air in our lungs. Thank Him for the beauty of creation... for the clouds in the sky, for the mountains, the ocean, the trees, etc. Thank Him for our health... if we are not so healthy at the moment… thank Him for doctors to care for us. Thank Him for our family. Thank Him for friends.

Thank Him for the freedom in our nation to study His Word without fear.

Thank Him for the hope He offers and that He is with us always.

Thank Him that He can help restore all of our relationships. Thank Him for the promise of eternity with Him.

As we thank our Father in heaven we are reminded of His goodness to us. Our eyes are focused upon Him. Giving thanks lifts our spirits; When we give thanks our heavy hearts are lightened. We are filled with hope, courage, peace and joy.

Begin now by thanking God for everything that pops into your mind.

Begin with the basics of your life and your foundation of salvation. When negative things come into your mind take them captive and turn them positive by remembering God’ promises, found in His Holy Bible. Look at them from another angle, God’s angle.

Psalm 100:4 , “ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

It Applies

I love walking outside. It is my favorite form of exercise. I find that it not only keeps my body healthy, it also has amazing benefits for my mind and spirit. As I head outside and close the front door I leave all household responsibilities behind me for a while. My mind gets a chance to clear out all the clutter of unnecessary things that can start to bog it down and clog it up. It is a wonderful time to reassess the priorities of which things and tasks are really of any importance. Most often my thoughts turn to God when I’m out enjoying His creation, which leads me to the spiritual benefits.  God is the best walking partner. He’s a great listener; He gives great wisdom and advice; He always walks at the perfect pace.

All around my neighborhood are beautiful, majestic mountains. Sometimes I gaze at them with great joy, and once in a while it is with a heavy heart.  Often as I walk surrounded by these mountains a certain song comes to mind which is based on Psalm 121, “I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth”. One particular day as I sang this song on my walk with God, I found that I could substitute all my blessings and life situations in place of the word “help”.  “Where does my health come from?” “Where does my family come from?” “Where does my salvation come from?” “Where do my friends come from?” “Where does my home come from?”  Where do my provisions come from?” “Where do my joy, hope and peace come from?”  “Where do even my trials come from?” And so on….. Everything I have comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. It applies to everything! There is no better way to come home refreshed from a walk than with this song in your heart and on your lips. There is joy in knowing that everything comes from the Lord.

Cupcakes and Toothbrushes

I was thinking back to this past Christmas and one of my favorite parts was spending time with my sons on Christmas Eve morning. We had family coming over that evening for dinner, gifts and all the usual festivities. We had ordered tamales for our meal so there wasn’t much prep needed, which freed us up that morning. In the days leading up to Christmas I had decided to make some chocolate peppermint cupcakes complete with sprinkles to give as gifts. We usually give gifts to people we know- family, friends, neighbors, co-workers. This year I had the idea to hand them out to the homeless people we see at various locations around town. I figured they probably don’t get many gifts, if any at all. I thought they might like a little care package as well. So along with the cupcakes each person would receive a bag with some toiletries inside, all tied up with a Christmas bow. I was so happy that my sons were up for the adventure and wanted to join me. We drove around town on a Christmas Eve mission determined to give out these treats and share the love of Jesus. Each person we met was so grateful. As we were approaching one man he greeted us with a joyful “Merry Christmas”.  He was very kind and immediately ate his cupcake with gusto. Another man that we met couldn’t believe that we were doing this together as a family. We had a short visit with most of the people we met. The one man we didn’t get to visit with was asleep under a tree by the side of the road. In this instance we decided to let him sleep. I pulled our car up to the curb and my older son quietly got out and set the goodies under the tree next to him, so as to not disturb him. That didn’t exactly go according to plan. The man peeked one eye open and suddenly jumped up. I don’t know who was more startled, him or my son. Watching from my car I was a bit concerned, hoping the man didn’t have PTSD.  Very fortunately he didn’t. My son smiled, motioned to the cupcake and bag he had left and then hurried back to the car. As we drove away the man was sitting under the tree enjoying his cupcake. This encounter makes me laugh just thinking of it. I think this might become a tradition.

Psalm 82:3, Defend the weak and the fatherless;

    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.