Marcus Aurelius, a first-century Roman emperor, wrote that the most important thing a man can choose is how he thinks.

Imagine every thought you have being determined by a choice. Every negative thought is weighed before expounded upon. Every action we make, every word we speak, we choose carefully by the glory it brings our Heavenly Father.

Shiela Walsh, singer, songwriter and author, has said that we can dwell every day on the things that are not working and let them drag us down, or we can thank God for the simple gifts of grace he gives us every day if we have a heart to see them.

I think it does our souls good to have an "attitude of gratitude".

I don't know about you, but we're heading into the holiday season and it's by far the time of the year that I have to work harder than ever to keep my heart and mind focused on what's most important. Thanksgiving for Christians is a wonderful opportunity to begin to prepare our hearts for the celebration ahead....the birth of Christ. Before Thursday, I like to remind myself of all the blessings God has bestowed upon me and my family in the last year. I don't share it all with everyone, but I do make conscious effort to highlight most of the obvious....and some of the more subtle one's that only I would've noticed. It's always a blessing to me to hear my children tell about evident answers to their prayers.

A cute one a couple weeks ago came at about 10:00 at night. I was just going in to say prayers with the kids before they went to bed, and the phone rang. It was some good friends from church that had a horse ("Chippie") stuck in a hay ring. They were asking Bruce to come over to help free his big behind. Bruce said that he'd be right over, hung up, told us what was going on, and we added them immediately to our prayer concerns. Within a minute, the phone rang again and Sharon said to forget coming over...Chippie was out of the hay ring.  Immediately the kids looked at eachother and said, "Wow! That was quick!" I was so thankful that they recognized that it was their answer to prayer and went right back to thanking God for his mercies.

I have been so very thankful still for the chance to join my husband in the Dominican. It didn't take me long to realize that we were the only couple there with young children at home. There were several husbands, all with wives back home taking care of the kids. And there were retirees. And one younger couple pregnant with their first. It made me realize even more how very blessed I am to have a mother-in-law that would come and take care of our children, AND be their teacher for a whole week, so we could go and experience that together. Thanks again Dori!

Sometimes, I catch myself with a bad attitude...why this and why that...I don't know anyone who doesn't have them. But the truth is, giving thanks does wonders for my soul.  It refocuses me on what's important so that instead of dwelling on the fact that my daughter will never stop leaving wet towels on her bed, I can celebrate the gift of a child who loves to find ways to care for others. 

I hope it blesses you today to hear what the Bible has to say about thankfulness...

• David's Psalm of Thanks ~ "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts..."        1 Chronicles 16:8-9
• Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thaksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  Psalm 100:3-4
• The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 15:56-57
• But thanks be to God, who always leads us...2 Corinthians 2:14
• Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!  2 Corinthians 9:15
• Give thanks in all circumstances...1 Thessalonians 5:18
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.         Philippians 4:6-7

Blessings to You Today Friends

and Happy Thanksgiving!

Deborah