Thankful [Part 1]

Okay, I thought doing a Thanksgiving Advent was an original idea until I just Googled it!  However, I am glad to see that there are people out there who actually celebrate Thanksgiving and don't go from Halloween straight to Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but this year, more than ever before, it's really bugged me how overlooked Thanksgiving really is.  As I walked toward a store the other day, it actually made me sad to see a big Christmas tree set up in it's entrance.  To me it said, "'Tis the season to start coveting and consuming!" Where are the reminders that it's really the season to focus on being thankful for what we already have?

Well, I came across one the other day when I found this quote I highlighted in a book I'm reading:

"A thankful heart galvanizes the connection between my God and me."
{Sally Clarkson, Dancing With My Father, 92}

You know, back in May I was feeling bad about how easy it was to be thankful when all was going well in my life - for the blessings I felt God was giving me - in my post, Project Thankful.  And though it was good to evaluate whether or not I was loving the gifts more than the Giver who was giving them, I was reminded recently of the Scripture that says:

"Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).

I don't need to feel guilty for enjoying the things God has given.  In fact, I think it glorifies God when I'm giving Him the credit for the blessings in my life.  I do need to be careful that I'm not trusting in possessions to make me happy.  God is the one I need to put my trust in because everything else is temporary.  Putting my trust in Him will give me that strong foundation to stand on whether life gives or takes.

With that being said, I would like to start my Thanksgiving Advent and list at least 11 things I'm thankful for:

1. Though my neighbors can get loud past curfew, disrupting our sleep, yell at and verbally abuse their children throughout the week, make periodic mysterious screaming noises like the strange sounds heard in Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre, or right as I'm typing this, boom their bass so loud it can be felt through our walls while both my children are napping, I am thankful for a roof over our head and a home I have the privilege of making our haven.

2. The dashboard may be cracking, tires needing replacing, cosmetic damage increasing, and with a family of four, space now limiting, I'm thankful for our 2-door, 10-year-old Chevy Cavalier that gets us to the places that would be very inconvenient and time-consuming to get to if we didn't have a car that still works.

3. She may wake me up a couple times at night, have had two explosive diapers that soiled her clothes the past couple days (probably related to the broccoli that I gave in to and ate) and sometimes hysterically cry when we've tried everything we know to do to try and console her, but I'm reminded that Adella really is a precious gift from God (Psalm 127:3) and I'm thankful that He chose for her to exist (plus He made her really cute and adorable).

4. She can throw her fits, but they're really few and far between compared to all the sweet, snuggly, entertaining, proud moments I get to share with my first gift from God, Leala, who I am truly thankful for.

5. When I realize how like-minded we are, how patient he is, how hard and faithful he works, how devoted to God he is, how Christ-like he loves... I am really thankful for the husband God picked out for me!

6. It may be limiting our family time and wearing my poor husband out (and me when I don't have the extra help in taking care of the kids), but I'm thankful for the grants he's gotten to pay for enrollment at CSUSM and aid him in finishing his BA in English Literature which then may take him on to a Ph.D program.

7. I am very thankful for Gregg's employer, RCP Block and Brick, with how flexible they've been with his school schedule, how supportive they've been to our family and the awesome medical coverage they provide!

8. There is not a day that goes by that I don't genuinely thank God in prayer for the meals He provides for our family, especially after reading through one of Gregg's school books, Women's Indian Captivity Narratives, and learning how some people have had to survive (and being reminded that some people currently have to live) days without food.

9. I am very thankful for another cool, rainy fall season that has protected us southern Californians from wildfire-causing Santa Anas.

10. I am truly blessed and thankful for our church, Calvary Chapel of Escondido, where we enjoy fellowship, have opportunities to serve, and that provides good Bible teaching that refreshes and encourages us.

11. As said in a worship song that's one of the dearest to my heart (which I just learned by Googling, is actually the refrain from a hymn), "I thank You, Lord, for saving my soul.  I thank You, Lord, for making me whole.  I thank You, Lord, for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free."

Speaking of songs, wouldn't that be great if you could do a word search, like "thankful" in iTunes that would provide a list of songs that contained that word?  It would make it easier to put together playlists, I think.  I want to put together a "Thankful" one, but I'm afraid it would be too time-consuming.  The only songs that come to mind are "Thank You" by Rebecca St. James and "Thank You" by Dido.  Hey look - someone else had the same idea too!

Q.  Which songs would be in your "Thankful" playlist?