Give Thanks
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I will give thanks to you forever! (Psalm 30:12b)
Thanksgiving is next week. This Thanksgiving will look different for most people. A worldwide pandemic means smaller gatherings and social distancing. 2020 is an unusually difficult year and yet we need gratitude at least as much if not more now than ever.
A popular tradition many families have at Thanksgiving is going around the table and listing things they are thankful for. I am blessed by this every time I do it. Jeff Maynard led an elder meeting this past Monday night and we were able to go around the table 5 times and list 5 things we were thankful for. Jeff noticed that as we continued to share blessings our faces changed - more smiles, less stress, more peace. David makes a list of things he is thankful for in Psalm 30 and he highlights things only the LORD can do:
YOU have drawn me up
YOU have healed me
YOU restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit
YOUR anger is but for a moment
YOUR favor is for a lifetime
YOU have turned my mourning into dancing
YOU have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness
May we be a people this Thanksgiving who give thanks for ALL the things the LORD has done to save, forgive, heal, restore and set us free. May reflecting on ALL HE HAS DONE cause our hearts to fill with genuine gratitude.
Thankful for all of you,
Steven
P.S. I also want to share how thankful we are for ALL OF YOU. As elders we are amazed and awestruck that God in His grace would give us the gift of being part of such an amazing church family. We love you all and we miss you!