What are you thankful for in your life? Has the Lord given you a testimony this year? Did you even take a moment to give the Lord thanks this weekend? Or were you distracted by the Enemy with all the frenzy of the holiday? That you forgot to say, "Thank you Lord."
The word remids us in Ephesians 5:20 (New International Version, ©2010): always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some times we let the preparation of the holiday overwhelm us to the point where we forget the reason for the season. We sometimes get so busy that we just get tired and forget to thank the Lord.
Sometimes we find our that we only thank the Lord when things are going well in our eyes. We forget to even thank him when things are going bad. The word reminds us that its good to thank the Lord for the bad things too: that dry turkey, dirty dishes, burnt cake, that meal that did not come out or are you beating yourself up about your preception of perfection you were try to achieve. The only one who was ever perfect was our Savior. When things go wrong in our life that experience will eventually be used for our good. The Lord uses all our experiences to grow us mentally and spiritually. I remember cooking my first turkey. It was not a good one but now, after years of experience by turkey is just quite delicious.
Did you take time to tell extended family members that you love, appreciate and are thankful for them?
Did you appreciate the opportunity to spend time with family and friends?
Did you make those new to family feel welcome?
Did you finally speak up in love to those family members who get on your last nerve how you actually feel?
Did you try resolve some old family hurts?
Did you promote a time of love amongst the children even though everyone is different?
Did you reframe from promoting division among the children?
Did you promote family first this weekend? Or did you leave Jesus at the church and you were mean and judgemental?
Sometimes its hard to be thankful for our extended family members but we have to see our interaction with our blood relative as a sort of ministry. The Lord reminds us that ministry starts a home, I do not think he was just referring to our own family but also our extended family members. You know you are the only Christ many will see. You can encourage them and share the word of God without judging them or encouraging their behaviors.
The Lord is trying to grow you spiritually, he doesn't want to just forget those close to you.
Sisters, if you decided not avoid certain family members this holiday season then I want you pray about that issue or person. Negative emotions towards family members is hurting you and causing you not to grow spiritiually. Did you hear me? Negative emotions will limit you from achieving the fullness of God.
The Lord is waiting for you to thank him "for everything." The good and the bad. He is teaching and growing you in every experience especially with those closest to you.
Sisters in Christ, Share your holiday experience with us...did the Lord teach you something?
I think what He taught me on the holiday this year is that the two of us are enough as long as we have Him at our core. We had a nontraditional dinner here in our newly adopted country but that didn't change the spirit of the holiday for us and we are grateful.
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