Giving Thanks And Glory to God

“Oh Give Thanks to the Lord, Call upon His Name. Make Known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him. Speak of all his Wonders. Glory in His Name. Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.” 1 Chronicles 8-10

It’s Thanksgiving Day. That Day in America, where we all gather around the table with family and friends and list off what we are thankful for. I have always loved Thanksgiving because it causes us to focus on gratitude versus discontent. It causes us to stop for a brief second and have perspective of how incredibly blessed we are. And it causes us to give thanks to God for sustaining, blessing, and bringing us through another year.

However, this year Thanksgiving and the idea of being “Thankful” is more impactful. This year I am learning that Thankfulness is not only gratitude and a positive attitude. Being thankful is not an emotional response to good situations. It is a commitment to obey and trust God….and God blesses us for having a consistent thankful heart! It is giving glory and gratitude to God for His strength, and for keeping His promises. It is having joy in spite of circumstances, because I have a Savior who loved me enough to die in my place and pay for my salvation for eternity. It is recognizing I have a good good Father…who not only has given me salvation and a home in heaven…but who sustains me, strengthens me, gives me peace and blessings each and everyday…in the little and big things.

When I look back on where I was a year ago, to where I am today…it has been quite the year. In fact, it has most certainly been a challenging year. We anticipated that this year would have challenges, but there were some major surprises that have rocked us this year as well.

At this time last year, we had just sold our dream home and bought a 100 year old fixer upper. We moved in 5 days before Thanksgiving. Austin was very sick with a respiratory infection when we moved in. I still remember all of the helping hands that did the heavy lifting, setting up my kids beds, feeding us, etc….as Austin was out cold on the couch and I was wondering what in the world we had just done.

During this time, I was also apart of selling the company that I have worked for over ten years. This brought uncertainty, as I did not know if I would be retained, or what the culture, my role, etc. would be if I did stay. Two weeks after our housing move, the sale of the business was completed. We went from a small privately owned tech company to being apart of a large corporation, where technology was one sector of their business. I was retained with the sale, but some of my close coworkers were not. I was hired on by the new company...but in a whole new role. Overnight, my job, coworkers, and everything in my work environment also changed.

Fast forward to May. We chose to do our “big Disney vacation” as a family. We decided it was the best time to take our biggest family vacation, in that all the kids were at good ages for Disney, and we had spent the last 6 months working on the house. We planned to do a join Disney parks and cruise trip.  I could write a book about our trip- but in summary….it ended up being the trip of a lifetime…but not in ways I ever want to repeat. Austin did not feel well the whole trip, and our last day on the cruise boat, ended up collapsing and being in very very serious condition. When I got medical help, they estimate he probably only had 30 minutes or so to live. He had pneumonia in all 4 chambers of his lungs…and had pushed his body to the breaking point. He went into septic shock, and his organs started shutting down. We were on a cruise boat, in the middle of the ocean, with foreign medical workers taking care of him in the cruise boat infirmary. When they docked the boat, he was rushed off to an ambulance and a nearby hospital. I was on my own in a city two hours away in Florida, with four kids and 16 suitcases.

Fast forward to this fall: God had a few more things to teach me, and ways to He wanted me to grow. I have always treasured friendships and relationships very highly. I have always made friends easily, and have enjoyed having a great group of friends, who all have different personalities and add so much joy and diversity to my life.  I have considered myself a good friend, and have also been immensely blessed my others and they have poured their friendship and lives into me as well. My world was rocked as one of my closest friendships ended overnight.

Why do I share all of this? To show how GOD is so powerful and gracious, and cares for us in ways I can’t even plan for or control! And today…I give Thanks to HIM!

Our “Old House” has ended up being one of the best decisions we have ever made. We bought it less than 24 hours after walking through it at an open house…on a whim. After buying it, we had some major fears…what were we doing? We have seen the proof of God in all the details with this house, throughout the year! He has given us not only contentment, but also has shown us that our true identity is in Him, not our possessions. He has allowed us to turn this house into a home, and make it a beautiful place we love. He has guided in all the little projects, with safety, budget, and just showing us how it was the perfect place for us. There are little features that we LOVE…and have made it probably our favorite property we have ever owned. This house has allowed us so much more financial freedom…to spend  money on people and not things! When I moved in here, I planned on counting the months until we planned to move again. But- God has not only given contentment but joy and peace in this place…and it has taught me so much about how our “things” don’t bring happiness!

My job has been a blessing this year….as it has been much less exciting than in the past, but it has also created stability when I needed it most in my life. My boss has been very supportive of family, I have amazing flexibility, great pay, and I have had very little stress from work this year….which has been a huge PRAISE!

Our “Magical Trip” to Disney that ended not so magically…instead ending up being a GOD thing. It ended with tears of joy at God’s deliverance, and awe at his perfect timing. As the plot unfolded over a 5-day hospital stay, and our 12^th anniversary celebrated in a hospital room instead of over a lavish dinner…it was incredible to see God in everything. We met other patients and were able to share Jesus with them and their families. We had strangers and acquaintances who lived in Florida reach out to us and help us. We saw how God had allowed Austin’s life to be spaired….in SO many ways. There were several variables that were revealed….where if we had done something different, if the kids had behaved differently and our plans had been altered…the ending could have been very different. We felt LOVE in astounding ways from our friends, church, and family in the next months. They fed us for weeks, stayed with Austin when I went to work, and mowed our lawn for months. I have never before felt so OUT OF CONTROL, but it was in that time, I saw God not only providing our needs, but also the proof that He saw the big picture and was guiding everything and everyone- without us even knowing until after the fact! We as humans really are the tools that He uses in His big plan! He was so gracious to spare Austin’s life…and for that I am soo soo grateful. But I am also so so grateful to have gone through that…so that I was able to see first hand the absolute proof and love of God in our lives.

God is using my friendships and relationships to teach me that it isn’t about me. It is about HIM. He wants me to have a heart for him, and not to put people in His place in my life. I am learning to depend on Him, and trust that He will provide the encouragement and community that we need in our lives. I am choosing no matter what to treat others with the kindness and love Christ has treated me with, and leave the variables up to Him. It is a hard lesson…but I chose to be Thankful and trust His plan.  

Happy THANKSGIVING Friends! I pray your day is spent giving Glory to God!