Wow! We are at Thanksgiving! It's that time of the year where we reminisce on all the things we are thankful for. For some, the list is long and extensive. For others, the list is short and concise. And still others, it's hard to find anything worth saying thank you for. And yet, this moment of the year still holds a space in our society and lives where we remember all that has happened in our lives in 2024.
"I'm thankful for..." is how many around-the-table conversations will go on the 28th of November. David said it best when by inspiration he wrote, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever." Ps. 136:1 NIV. I have learned that giving thanks or gratitude is super important for the human mind. It was once stated, "Gratitude turns what we have into enough." - Anonymous.
This Sabbath day, what do you have? What are you thankful for? What has God blessed you with? John Ortbery powerfully stated, "Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation." Take some time today and give thanks. Whether in writing, drawing your thankfulness, or even the old-fashioned way of expressing it to someone you love, take time today to give thanks for what you have and have been given as a gift . . . your life.
May you this Sabbath day find the liberating power of this Biblical thought nestled in the book of 1 Thess. 5:18, which says, "Give thanks in all circumstances." Easier said than done . . . I know. But well worth the effort! Lasting healing from the traumas of life comes when one is able to be grateful for what God has given as a gift . . . your life! May you realize that you are loved and needed by God.
So, until the next time, this is Pastor Tello reminding you that thoughts do change lives!
Pastor Howard Tello