Recently I saw a commercial that showed someone celebrating fall, Halloween, Christmas, ONE day of Thanksgiving and then back to Christmas! While I love celebrating the birth of Jesus, we celebrate gifts more than the Giver! (A topic for another day). We don't spend the time we should thanking God for all we have. What if the Thanksgiving season lasted as long as Halloween season? I read an article by Lisa Elliott which suggests 7 things we can thank God for this season.

1. Perspective. We can be thankful for the ability God offers to see things from His vantage point. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Is. 55: 8-9).

2. Provision. God provides for us in so many ways. We can be thankful for Jehovah Jireh (Gen. 22:13). He has provided more than we realize and way more than we deserve.

3. Protection. None of us could possibly calculate the times that God has protected us from harm. We likely haven't realized it when He has. Therefore, we can be thankful for a God who knows the way and watches our every step as He walks alongside us, guards us from behind, and goes before us (Ps. 121: 5-8).

4. Presence. The Lord has made known to us the path of life. He fills us with joy in His presence and eternal pleasures at His right hand (Ps. 16:11). For that we can be thankful.

5. Power. We can be thankful that Jesus has won the victory over life and death. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)!

6. Purpose. Life is meaningless without the purpose God gives. Therefore, we can be thankful that "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil - this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God odes it so that people will fear him" (Eccles. 3: 11-14).

7. Peace. We can be thankful for the peace that transcends understanding (Phil. 4: 6-7). It comes from knowing God and trusting that He has it all figured out. There is so much anxiety and confusion in the world. Therefore, it helps knowing He's in control. He knows the beginning from the end. And, it's a happy ending!

This October AND November, challenge yourself to make a daily Thankful List of five things that bring you joy and meaning. Lisa suggests not waiting until the end of your day. Rather, begin your day with an attitude of thanksgiving, anticipating God to show up in personal ways.

In Christ's ministry together ~ Pastor Caryn