Only a week till Thanksgiving Day. As I watch on FB, there are folks that post what they are thankful for in their lives. I think that is a good thing. I will not say that it is wrong for them to do that. As I read those things they are thankful for, I am struck by the fact that many people are thankful for the faith and life that they have in their Lord Jesus Christ. I know that in my life, the first and foremost thing that I am thankful for is that the Son of God became a man in order to carry my sins, pay the price of the law, suffer and die for me and then rise on the third day. I rejoice that the Holy Spirit has brought me to believe in Jesus Christ through the waters of Baptism, strengthened through the power of the Word and through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
I do admit that I am not a perfect person. I continue to sin in my life, by thought, word and deed. I struggle with temptation each and every day. No, I am not going to sit here and tell you what I struggle with, even as you do not have to tell me what you struggle with in your life. I ask the Lord to forgive me each day for the sins that I have done, both those I know and those I do not know. I ask Him to help me through the power of the Holy Spirit to help me when I face those temptations so that through His power in me, I might be able to overcome those temptations and live the life that the Lord would have me live.
It is a really tough time in our natin now. Covid-19 is still out there. People are getting sick with the virus. At the same time, many more people are not getting sick. Most of those who have tested positive for the virus have been healed from the virus (through the power of God, through medical assistance and through the wonder of how the body heals). I pray for those who have contracted the virus. I pray for their healing. I pray for those who have not contracted the virus, praying that they don't. I pray for our community here in Clarinda, that people will be kept safe and given strength.
Yes, it is a tough time, but it is one in which we have so much to be thankful for in our lives. I look at what the Lord has done for me in my life. Every time I take a step, I thank God for a new knee. I thank God for the doctors and nurses who replaced my knee and took care of me. I thank God for the therapists who are working with me 3 times a week. I thank God for the people who have continued to pray for me and my healing. I thank God for a very special person, Penny, who has cared for me in so many ways. She is truly a blessing for me and has helped me in more ways than I can name. The Lord is truly good to me, not only in this time but every day. I am so thankful for her and for my family.
Ok, so what are you thankful for in your life? Don't just wait till Thanksgiving Day to give thanks for the many blessings in your life. Take time over the next days to think about those blessings, give thanks for them. And then, think of some way that you might be able to help someone out in their lives. How can you lift up someone who is struggling? Dropping a meal off at their door? Saying a prayer for someone? Sending a card (yes, an actually physical card!), making a phone call, being that person that encourages other people.
Give thanks, with a grateful heart, give thanks! Yes, I do give thanks to the Lord God almighty.
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