Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love the concept and reason for thanksgiving, but  mainly because it has been a consistent thing in my life.  We always enjoy Thanksgiving with my parents.  Sometimes it has been at my home, sometimes at theirs, but always with them.  Our meal is always the same, and when it's not ... well, it's back to the same the next year.  Of course we have the usual foods like everyone else, the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes.  We also have green beans that my mom canned from the summer.  She typically saves back a jar or 2 of the smaller beans, because those are my favorite.  We also have frosted cranberry salad, which is a jello full of stuff!  Makes me hungry just thinking about it!  We use the good dishes and glasses.  We set around the table, some at a card table, some on the couch, but we're all together and that is something worth being thankful for.  After the meal has been cleared away and the dishwasher loaded, we pull out the dominoes for a lively (seriously) game of Mexican Train. 

Well, this year is different.  Our daughter is a freshman in college, 12 hours from our home.  She came home by plane, and only has a few days with us until she flies out again leaving us no real time to make the trip to my parents.  They're also unable to make the trip this year, so it leaves us with being in different places.  We knew this was coming, but the reality makes it a little hard to swallow, much like cold, lumpy mashed potatoes. 

Well, this year may be different, but I am thankful just the same, perhaps even more so.  I am especially thankful for my family.  Of course the ones far away that I'm related to by blood, but also the ones I assemble with each week to worship God who I am related to by the blood of Christ.  I'm thankful for the hospitality and friendship as we, along with others, are welcomed into a loving home to share a meal together.  I'm thankful for the fellowship we enjoy every time we get together to worship, but also the periods of fellowship that occur via texts, email, Facebook, or in homes.  What a wonderful blessing it is to have a loving family!

I actually started this blog post to include some of my favorite Bible verses on thanksgiving, and to mention how many times it's in the Bible, etc.  but once I started thinking about the holiday of Thanksgiving, my thoughts turned of family.  I'm blessed in so many ways.  I am thankful for my Christian walk - Colossians 2:6-7 "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."  I'm also thankful for the opportunities past, present and future to serve Him.  I'm thankful for my heritage in the faith as I've been taught. 

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

¹ Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
² Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.