So, It's Thanksgiving Time Again!

Thanksgiving is really an American holiday.  And I have too many American friends and non-American friends who celebrate Thanksgiving.  So, here's wishing you all a season of blessedness.

Increasingly though, and even in Honduras, the season of commercialized Christmas seems to have superseded the Thanksgiving turkey in all its roasted glory.  I am once again reminded of this season through an overdrive of American retail marketing, the number of likes and re-posts on Facebook.  Don't get me wrong.  I think Americans have a stronger reason to celebrate Thanksgiving than Halloween and it's a great time to reflect on God's goodness.

So, how do I, a non-American, respond to this special holiday in a foreign calendar?

And this is my way of giving thanks to God Almighty - yes, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

1.  Take a breather - chill, sit in my most comfortable chair with my Bible in hand.  And let my mind reflect on this last year's goodness.  I challenge you to do the same.  Your list of blessings will be long! Mine is, all the time.  

2.  Smile a lot - It's just natural when I keep writing down non-stop blessings given by God BUT more so when I reflect upon the Giver of All Blessings.

3.  Pause - yes, there have been instances of pain, anger.  I ask for forgiveness for making God too small in those moments.  Man, He is bigger than my own thoughts about Him.  Thank God that the blood of Jesus shed on the wooden cross in Calvary is enough to cleanse me.  Pause and think of the good that came out of the pain.  God is so faithful to those who trust His Son, Jesus.

4.  Play favorite worship music - I totally love to praise and dance.  So, you can bet that it's going to be fast-paced Spanish worship music, abit of jazz, some reggae and the kind of praise songs in English and Indonesian that literally keeps my hands lifted unto God.

5.   Pause - to Pray.  Prayer is communication, not just my voice to God but His voice to me.  I thank God for every past blessings and then wait....wait to listen to His voice.  

6.  Watch that Bible - God speaks mostly through the Bible.  But hey, I don't put Him in a box, He is God.  He can speak to me through other ways - impression, songs, vision...etc.

7.  Ask - I ask God to reveal the person(s) to bless and the specific ways to bless.  More importantly, I ask God to pour His love into my heart for those whom I will bless.  Come on, try it.  Ask Him.
8.  Act - my obedience is dependent on my response to what I have been asked to do.  Obedience to His exact instructions brings great glory to God.

9.  Get real - we are so human.  Sometimes, I can get too proud and think it's about what I can do for someone else.  Really? It's about Jesus Christ, my friend.  It's about who He is and what He can do through me.  So, let's get real and remember who enables us to be a true blessing.

10. Remember - remember that Thanksgivng, like Christmas or Good Friday or Resurrection Sunday, is really everyday.  We are so capable of missing this point: Give thanks daily for God is good!!


Quietly thanking God for Who He is in my short life,
Rachel

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