I Give Thanks

It’s Thanksgiving! But what gives me pause on this day of giving thanks is how often  I don’t feel like doing it because I’m so focused on the negative, what I don’t have or simply just feeling sorry for myself. But that’s not reality. Reality is how much I have to be thankful for. Family who loves me just the way I am (like two granddaughters climbing up on my lap to play and delaying the posting of this devotional!). Friends who bring help and joy. A nation that offers so many blessings. Food, shelter, health and, Lord knows, more stuff than I need. A calling on my life that brings me the deepest meaning. And, most importantly, God’s unconditional, invitational and transformational love in Jesus that is the ultimate reality in which I live regardless of what might – or might not – happen. So today I will give thanks all day long for what matters most. And I hope you will, too. And because life is far from perfect, I also pray you will give thanks for experiencing just the grace you need in just the way you need it at just the time you need it.