Ending This Year With a Season of Thanksgiving

I know, I know, Thanksgiving was a month ago. However, as I reflect back on 2019 as I have been trying to do over the last few days, a heart of Thanksgiving is my biggest takeaway. Being thankful is something I’ve always struggled with. I’m a pessimist by design so the glass is always half empty. When I embarked into 2019 last year, God gave me a word. Maybe you remember this blog, maybe you are new, but my word for the new year was EMBRACE.

You maybe asking yourself, “What does embrace have to do with being thankful?”

I will explain.

Embrace

The word embrace was very strong over me going into January 2019. I didn’t know why. I also, up to that point in my life had never chosen a “word for the year.” Nevertheless, I went with it thinking, “This has to mean something Lord, right?” I even found a devotional called Embraced by Lysa Terkeurst that a group of ladies at church and I started at the first of the year.

Side Bar : I highly recommend this devotional!

So I started into 2019 with the need to embrace.

But what am I embracing?

Right after the first of the year, our foster care case closed. I finally felt a sigh of relief. Life proceeded and life was good. In June, we lost my father In law. In the midst of all that, I got word of a very uncertain situation that could affect our home. Months went by with little clarity and in October, we got an unexpected new foster child.

The last two months have been quite a blur. If you follow me on Facebook, you know the struggles. However, as the dust has settled and our routines have aligned, I have been taking time daily to reflect on all the things 2019 has brought me.

The word embrace was ever so true in the middle of the madness. His embrace is the greatest factor that held me through this past year.

The peace, failures, let downs, uncertainties, unknowns, heartache, joy and sorrow that 2019 brought could not have been overcome or obtained without the embracing of my Savior Jesus Christ.

So Where does Thanksgiving come into all of this?

God gave me a vision of a bible study, around March 2019 (remember life was good at this time) and with that came a title to start with. That title was “Finding Joy on the Struggle Bus.” What He taught me was that my joy is a reflection of my gratitude.

You see, having gratitude and thanksgiving when life is good is so simple to do. It’s when we get boarded onto that struggle bus, sometimes kicking and screaming as we board, that’s when it’s hard to be thankful. That struggle bus, yes, I was kicking and screaming – I boarded in October of this year.

I failed miserably at my own teachings. I felt like such a, “Do as I say but not as I do” teacher.

That is never how I want to be.

I felt shame with how ungrateful I had become. I felt so unworthy to be asked from God to teach other women about how to be more joyful women of God when my joy had been completely depleted.

It wasn’t until I decided to actually put my actions where my mouth was and start deliberately doing the things I taught my bible study ladies to do that I noticed change. You see, I was reverting back to my unthankful, ungrateful, glass half empty mind set.

It’s All About Thanksgiving  

Thanksgiving is truly the meat and potatoes of your joy. It’s the substance that keeps you going. The good and the bad all have something to be thankful for.

I don’t know what your 2019 looked like.

Maybe it was the best year ever. Maybe as you reflect you are so ever thankful for all the good memories and laughter that was brought to you.

Maybe it was the absolute worst and you are anxiously counting down the days until it’s over.

I’m not sure.

With the new year, comes a fresh start. Furthermore, we serve a God who delivers, redeems, and gives fresh starts to us all year long. If your year has been filled with sorrow and heartache, be thankful for a God who gives fresh starts and remain steadfast to His promises.

“His mercies are new every morning” Lamentations 3:23

My Challenge to You

I want to challenge you to take time over the next week and reflect over this past year. Maybe you don’t want to reflect on the heartache you faced. Still yet, I encourage you too. God has brought you to this point. His embrace has been your strongest ally throughout this year. You may not even realized it yet. So start now with reflection.

Thanksgiving is the joy maker in my walk with the Lord. I pray you find a season of Thanksgiving in your heart as you reflect on the past year as well.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good” Psalm 136:1

Love you friends