Thanksgiving on Thursday...



I missed posting my weekly Thanks post last week, but all because I've been very busy helping my family and others to harvest and preserve the harvest for winter. We shall not be afraid of winter (Prov. 31), to be sure!

As I was cleaning recently on a Saturday morning, I was a bit warmish (my friends know that I don't like to roast...I'll take a sweater any day over sweating!) and tempted to be peeved that I had a floor to wash on a Saturday, a day I usually reserve for resting, and doing odd jobs around the house, in celebration of another school week behind us, and in preparation for Sunday.

But as I was tempted to think sour thoughts, I determined instead to choose praise. Here is a run down of what I thought as I mopped my huge kitchen floor, and later as I pondered that on into the day.

*There's a roof up above me
*I get to serve my hard-working Farmer with a clean floor, something he appreciates very much
*My son, who is one of the main dirt-carriers into my house, is full of life and energy and a blessing to me.
*I am healthy and well and able to serve my family, something I didn't have in years gone by.
*I have many quarts of food harvested and in my freezer, one of the reasons this floor is so dirty~from being so busy preserving the harvest that we didn't reach around to do our cleaning well the past few weeks.

And later, I had the blessed privilege of showering in a spotless bathroom, thanks to a faithful daughter. I had an abundance of warm, running water, chemical-free soap that didn't cost me a fortune, and vinegar to rinse my hair shiny and smooth. I had clean clothes to wear, again thanks to a faithful daughter. And I could sit in front of a fan and dry my hair and enjoy the cool breeze.

Praise is powerful. That set the tone for the rest of my day. I found things to bless the Lord in almost automatically in different situations that day. It was pleasant to observe that if I choose praise, I can face any tomorrow and know that God is there, and that He will take care of whatever needs are there.

Praise is telling God that I believe He is who He says He is and that He does what He says He will do. Praise is telling Him that I notice and am thankful for the benefits He daily loads me with. Praise is telling Him that I am content in the shadow of His wing. Praise is telling God that I love Him and surrender to His plan for my day.

Praise is not ignoring the sorrows of life. It is not burying my head in the sand and hoping the problems go away. Instead, praise is simply acknowledging the One who never changes and who will supply all my needs, according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

Try praise. I highly recommend it.

 

 

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him,

[who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

Psalm 42:11