There is a precious chorus that I have sung for years that continues with that line 3x and then you add, “thank you for being so good”. As I approach our first Thanksgiving and Christmas since cancer I have been overwhelmed with Thankfulness. It has been hitting me in waves like I was sitting at the beach.
The older I get and the more I know and understand the Lord, the more I realize how undeserving I am of all my blessings. I could have 3 blessings to count this year and that would be 3 more than I deserve. The truth that is beyond comprehension is I can not number the blessings I am enjoying, there are so many!
I stopped writing for a moment and tried to number my complaints, my grumblings, my unthankfulness. It is a ridiculous exercise. The analogy I used earlier about the beach comes to mind. Imagine you are at the beach and you are building sandcastles of complaints. Then a wave of thankfulness washes in and wipes it out. Then I build another castle, another wave and on and on… That is exactly what happens in my mind. As I try to number my complaints I start laughing thinking how insignificant they are compared to my blessings.
Why are my blessings beyond number? Because God is the creator of Thanksgiving. God, by His very existence compels all creatures to Thankfulness. He so full of Grace and Mercy that when one considers Him even for a moment, thankfulness bursts forth. Do you see that I can not impress God or anyone else by being a “thankful person” because with out Him it would not be possible.
Tomorrow I want each of us to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for God. We get the recipe in Psalm 50:14, “Spread for ME a banquet of Thanksgiving, include obedience to promises made to ME”. It is ok after you have served the Lord to then partake of the food we enjoy and say thank you for each bite.
