Hebrews 12:28 says, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (NIV). Well I think that's a very big reason for us to be thankful - we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken! Amen? Amen. As Thanksgiving approaches I've stopped and looked within myself to see what my reasons are to be thankful this year. We ponder our reasons to be thankful on Thanksgiving, but I will say to you that I have learned through cancer that thankfulness has taken on a new meaning for me. I will also say to you that I ponder these reasons more often than just at Thanksgiving. I feel sometimes that Thanksgiving Day is being overlooked and sliding through the cracks because our society is so fast-paced that we've stopped being still. I want to be still and share with you my reasons for being thankful.
My thankfulness is always about the big stuff. I am thankful that God sent His only Son to die for me that I will have eternal life with Him. I am thankful that God gives me grace and mercy, but also consequences and guidance. Someone once said there would be no message without the mess and no testimony without the test! I love this because it is so true. The messes I've made sometimes didn't deserve grace, but I got it anyway. My extreme love for the Lord would not be as it is without the tests He has walked me through. I am thankful that because I am a believer in Christ that my sin is not only forgiven, but forgotten as far as the east is from the west. In other words, there is no remembrance of my sin to God once I repent. Oh, how thankful I am that He forgets - I wish I could forget, too! I am thankful that God created a kingdom for us to live for eternity. I am thankful for my family, for it is with them that God placed me and I am honored to be loved by each and every one of them. They have helped me and prayed for me and walked with me and sat with me in my darkest hours and never moved, never left, never gave up. I am thankful for each and every one of you reading this because whether I've told you or not, you have blessed me in some way. I am blessed and I am thankful.
Yes, my thankfulness is always about the big stuff; yet, there is such blessing and thankfulness and graciousness in what some might consider "small stuff". I am thankful that the beauty of the sky can take my breath away. I am thankful for God's whisper. I love the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 when the Lord told Elijah to "go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by" (v.11). Well, Elijah went to the mountain and verse 11-12 says, "a powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." God was in the whisper and I am thankful that He still gives us gentle whispers. Those can be different for everyone, but for me when I am the only one up at night and can hear the gentle breathing of my husband and children when they sleep, or the quiet hours of the night that are peaceful... these are the whispers of God that I am so thankful for. I am thankful for the people God puts in my path, for each can have a special message. I am thankful that my 7 year old son still climbs up on my lap just to sit and snuggle. This time is so precious. I am thankful that my 13 year old son just this week made the basketball team; and while I am so thankful that he made the team, what warms my heart the most is that his first choice of basketball shoes were the pink ones in honor of my journey through cancer. (We did not get the pink ones, but I was touched nonetheless.) :) I am thankful for the sunlight that is sometimes blinding. I am thankful when the clouds in the sky separate showing us a blue unlike any other, giving us a glimpse that heaven is just through those clouds. I am thankful for the mountaintops and equally as thankful for the valleys and even the desert. God gives us such beauty in each place He sends us. I am thankful for the water that falls from the side of a mountain just because God thought we might enjoy it. I am thankful for the vibrant color He allows us to see on this earth - the reds, oranges, and yellows of the fall; the white, snowy color of winter, the new blooms of color in the spring, and the wondrous greens of the summer. He could have made everything dark and ugly and we never would have known; but He gave us beauty here on earth and I can't imagine the beauty of Heaven. I am thankful for the ways He shows me He loves me, as if I'm the only child He has. I am thankful that when the darkness sets in and the long hours of the night lay before me, He scoops me up and holds me in His lap until the storm passes by. I am thankful for the rest I can receive in the shadow of the Almighty. I love Jeremiah 29:13 that says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (NIV) God is all around us and we can see Him in everything if we seek Him. I am so thankful that He lets us see Him.
Psalm 39 4-7 talks about how our lives are fleeting and that "each man's life is but a breath". (NIV) And in 1 Peter 5:10, God promises us that our suffering will be only for a little while. (NIV) I am thankful that these verses let us know that if we are suffering right now, it will be only for a little while. God will restore us and bring us through according to His will and His timing. Yes, our lives are but a breath, but what joyous, beautiful blessings we are able to see and receive. I am thankful for breast cancer, for without this test I would not have the testimony to give God all the glory for what He has done. I just had a good report this week and I am thankful. I have learned to try not to look toward tomorrow....it might not come....it has troubles of its own. I am thankful that I am cancer free. Today. What will tomorrow bring? I don't know, but I am thankful that I serve a God who does.
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 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 Thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks for Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100 (NIV)
Hallelujah! I am thankful for so much and blessed undeservedly. To me, there is nothing "small stuff" about God. He's always big and mighty and powerful. So, yes, I am receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and I am thankful! I stand in awe of our Almighty God. My cup runs over. I send my love to each of you and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.
I love you all,
Kacey
