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Barren but Blessed – Trusting God with the Rest
Finding Thanks
There are times when the darkness threatens to swallow me and the panic feels too much to control. There are times where I look around, surrounded by love and family and all wonderful things yet fail to see how blessed I am. There are times that giving thanks is hard.
When I’m unable to give thanks, I must find them.
Through the packed schedule, the misbehaving children, the weight of stress and responsibility on my shoulders, there is always a reason to give thanks.
Always.
And when that reason for giving thanks slips so far away it is unrecognizable, it’s time to actively seek it, to find thanks instead.
When we find ourselves looking inward instead of upward, we forget to notice the blessings bestowed upon us. We forget to seek the one who cares for us daily and loves us beyond our comprehension. We forget.
Finding thanks requires active participation. It requires not just skimming the surface, but diving into all that is your life. Finding thanks requires not just acknowledgment, but appreciation.
Finding thanks requires looking beyond your situation, beyond yourself. It requires a faith that believes your current place is not your final place and it requires you to seek the details.
Life is hard, but we serve a God who is mightier. When the darkness threatens to swallow, we have a God who lights a match. When the panic feels too much, we have a God who lifts it from our shoulders. We are undeserving yet fully rewarded by a God of love.
We have reasons to be thankful.
As we enter into this week of Thanksgiving, I challenge you to not just give thanks, but find them as well. I challenge you to acknowledge and appreciate, recognize and seek. If you’re in a place where giving thanks is difficult, I challenge you to find thanks in the dark places. Look for the light and allow the weight to be lifted – you are a child of God and you have a reason to be thankful.
One Comment on “Finding Thanks”
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Blue Seal Award Winner
Extra Grace Required 
Great truth! Thank you.
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