70 REASONS TO THANK GOD

“Encouraging Words for Today” November 14, 2011

70 REASONS TO THANK GOD

by Lucinda Secrest McDowell

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever!” (Psalm 118) How can we be thankful after experiencing a drastic reduction in income… or status… or health… or relationships? Sadly, this is Reality at Thanksgiving 2011 for so many people. Truth is, I’ve also experienced this kind of Reality. Yet here I am, still giving Thanks. And I believe we can all do this if we embrace two things:

1. Remember that GOD is the One we thank.

God is the One we thank because He is over all and in all and chooses to share that ‘all’ with us lavishly. Knowing that we are created, loved and sustained by a merciful and gracious God is the ultimate reason for giving thanks. My friend, Steve Brown, says that despite circumstances it can always be a good Thanksgiving:

“It is a good Thanksgiving because we have Someone to thank Who loves us, Who shows Himself to us in the dark and Who is in control of the mess. Some of us will have more ‘stuff’ than others. Some will be going through some rough waters and some will be sailing through the calm between the storms. Some will be facing emotional or physical pain, loss of a loved one or the prospect of great failure, while others will be sitting on top of the world. Those aren’t even the issues though. The issue is GOD. Run to Him. Thanksgiving will be natural.”

2. Make a CHOICE to live in Gratitude, no matter what.

So, we can either complain and whine about the direction life has taken us — the detour in the road, the closed door, the seemingly impossible challenge — or we can believe that nothing is too hard for God-with-us (btw, that is Emmanuel, one of the names of Jesus, but we will get to that later during Advent…) Maybe your situation is darker this year than last, but if you know God as the Great Provider, you can choose to say with Habakkuk:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails  and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength…” (Habakkuk 3.17-19)

I’m grateful for parents who taught me early on that Thanksgiving is actually a way of life. Recently I discovered a small piece of paper with a long list written by my 12 year old self… my ‘ticket’ to Thanksgiving dinner… (thanks to sister Susan for ‘rescuing’ this from the family archives…)

My Thankful List 1965

(misspellings are original, italics are updated notes)

Food: Turkey, Ice Cream, Spagetti

Shelter: Brookside (our farm in the country), Pinecrest (our house in town), Treehouse (mine!)

Family: Mama, Daddy, Susan, Cathy

Pets: Friskey, Rusty, Animals

School: Education, Teachers, Materials

Clothes: Slacks, Skirts, Dresses, Shoes (old), Jeans

House: Kitchen, My Room,

Govement: Free Country, Leaders, Democracy, President (even though he is Mr. Johnson), White House, Capital, Heroes, Republicans

Senses: Hearing, Seeing, Tasting, Feeling, Smelling

Workers: Fireman, Doctors, Nurses, Pulpwood Dealers (this is what my daddy did at the time), City Workers, Farmers, Radiomen

Transportation: Bycicle, Automobiles, Airplane, Train, Jet, Rockets

Christen Life: Church, Music, Preacher, Deacons, Elders, Missionaries

Movie Stars: Hayley Mills, Kevin Corcoran, Doris Day, Peter McEnery

Machines: Television, Radio, Intercom

Keystone Camp!

Nature: Birds, Trees, Plants, Animals, Music, Smell, Wonders

And that is just a little bit of what I’m thankful for. Cindy Secrest, Thanksgiving 1965

If I could just sit down and write out 70 things on my thankful list (in categories, no less) back when I had only lived a dozen years, then surely today I can list at least 770! I think if I start now, I’ll have enough for a ‘ticket’ to Thanksgiving dinner… Want to join me?

under the mercy, Cindy

copyright 2011 Lucinda Secrest McDowell

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