Giving Thanks

 

Colossians 3:12-17 (ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with gratitude?  Sometimes I look at my life and feel undeserving of all the wonderful blessings I've been given.  Mark and I try to instill the value of gratitude in Will and Ben.  One way we are trying to teach this is every night we pray together as a family before we go to bed.  Typically Will prays, then Ben, me, and Mark is last.  If you were to listen in, this is what you'd probably hear, from Will and Ben

 

"Dear Lord, Thank you for our family, mommy, daddy, Will and Ben. In Christ name we pray, Amen."

 

My prayer is usually this,

 

"Dear Lord, Thank you for this day.  Thank you for all of our many blessings.  Thank you for our family, mommy, daddy, Will and Ben.  Thank you for our friends.  Thank you for the church, the Bible, for Jesus, for loving us and forgiving us.  Thank you for our home and providing us food.  Thank you for school and for mommy and daddy's jobs.  Thank you for watching over us and protecting us.  Please keep us safe.  Help us to always do what's right and be good examples to others.  In Christ name we pray, Amen."

 

Lately Will and Ben have been praying more lengthy prayers and including some of the things they hear us give thanks for.  It makes my heart happy.  It's that feeling of overwhelming gratitude that I mentioned earlier.  I feel like Will and Ben might be getting the importance of being grateful for all that we've been given and being mindful that all of those things are from the Lord.

 

Each night one of the first things I thank God for is my little family.  About a month ago, we met Lauren at the land we own in the country for a photo shoot.  She is so talented and these are my favorite family photos we've had taken.  The boys were extra cooperative, and it's special and sentimental because they were taken on the land where we hope to build our future home.  I'm thankful she captured these images at this special place.

 

 

 

 

Give thanks with a grateful heart!

xoxo,

Michele

 

 

{Photos taken by Lauren}