I'm Thankful For...

I have been on this earth for a mere twenty-eight years.  That's nothing really in comparison with all eternity.  However, in those twenty-eight years, I have been richly blessed.  As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches, I'm reminded of just how much I have to be thankful for, and yet just how easily I take for granted each of those things.  So as a reminder to myself and as encouragement to all of you, I give you 28 Reasons to be Thankful.


I'm Thankful For...

1. A mother and father who love and support me unconditionally.  I’m recognizing more and more what a rare gift that truly has become.
2. Two sisters who love God, serve God, and seek to live for Him daily.
3. An extended family that truly loves and cares for one another and has shown me the picture of how family is intended to be.
4. At the risk of leaving anyone out, let me generalize and say friends.  However, I’m incredibly thankful for my closest friendships that are truly rooted in and centered on Christ.
5. A roof over my head.
6. A warm bed to sleep in.
7. Food to put on my table every day.
8. The privilege of traveling through and experiencing this incredible world that God created!  It truly is a thing of beauty!
9. The fifty-five little ones downstairs who keep me smiling, laughing, loving, and serving…remembering that this is SO worth it!
10. Nappanee Missionary Church (NMC) – being away from it has really helped me see just how much I love, appreciate, and miss it!  I’m thankful for a ministry that is reaching beyond itself and making an incredible impact at home and abroad.
11. The beauty of a sunrise, sunset, and starry night.
12. Salgaa.  That place has forever changed my life, and I am thankful to call so many there my friends.
13. The prayer support, financial support, and encouragement from everyone back home!
14. Different languages.  Even though I may get frustrated when I can’t understand, I’m thankful for the beautiful glimpse it gives me of the uniqueness of God’s creation and what Heaven will be like some day!
15. Hope.  I can’t imagine living in a place of hopelessness.  I’m so thankful to know the hope that can be found in Jesus Christ.
16. Struggles.  I know it sounds crazy, but I would not be who I am today without walking through and overcoming the many struggles that have come my way.
17. The living, breathing, and active Word of God.
18. Living in a country where I have the freedom to worship God.
19. The many who I’ve met here in Kenya who have welcomed me in as part of their family!
20. How much God has brought my way that has really allowed me to change and grow in my first 6 months here in Kenya.
21. The over 170 cards of encouragement from home that are currently hanging up in my apartment!  It’s a daily reminder of God’s love and faithfulness.
22. Dreams.  I’m thankful that God gives us His dreams and challenges us to join in them.  I’m thankful that when one dream is accomplished, a new one is waiting to be pursued.
23. The legacy of the many spiritual influencers in my life, and for the way that God has used each one to challenge me and shape me into whom I am now.
24. Laughter.  This life would be so boring if we never found any joy and laughter in it.  I’m thankful for the gift of laughter and the way it can turn the hardest of circumstances into something to celebrate.
25. The gift of today.  There’s not much we can really control in this world, yet how I choose to spend today is completely up to me.  I’m thankful for the gift of today and that I have the chance to spend it loving and caring for others, making the most of every opportunity.
26. Students who are willing to passionately pursue after Christ whole-heartedly, who recognize that they have the ability to greatly impact this world for God!
27. The new creation I am in Christ.
28. The fact that each one of us is able to have our own unique journey with Christ.  “He is not calling you to the same life that everyone else will live.  He’s not even calling you to the same path that every follower of Christ will walk.  Your life is unique before God, and your path is yours and yours alone.  Where God will choose to lead you and how God chooses to use your life cannot be predicted by how God has worked in the lives of others before you.”  -Erwin McManus

There are so many things to be thankful for, much more than what’s on this list.  And God has certainly been challenging me to really take time to thank Him; to never take for granted the many ways in which He’s blessed me (blessed us)!

So that’s my challenge to you today.  Have you taken time to consider all the blessings you’ve received from God?  And more than that, have you really thanked Him for them?  He deserves the praise!

So, what are you thankful for?