Because we have SO much to be thankful for, I wanted my family to do a "thankful tree" this year. It is so easy to take things for granted and I wanted a visual representation to show many of the things that we are thankful for.
Before we jumped into writing down what we are thankful for we read a little bit of what the bible says about giving thanks.
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:4
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
And then we began writing.
(The goal was to do this everyday, but that didn't always happen.)
These are just a few of the things that we have to be thankful for.
A few were a little bit surprising to me. Ben put up the boy that has been picking on him as well as a girl at school that has some serious issues. When I asked him why he was thankful for those people, he told me that he is thankful for them because he can tell them about Jesus. WOW!!!
Yes, I am thankful for God's provision and for His grace and all of that. But this year, the first thing that came to mind for me is that I am thankful for the Lord making me content in Bartlesville, OK. Last December the Lord reminded me that I had a decision to make. I could either choose to hate it here and be miserable. Or, I could choose to be content and make the best of being in a place that I don't want to be. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference that has made! Since making the decision to be content, life has been much more enjoyable! I have found some things at church that I really enjoy and I have made so many friends!! Let's all admit that friends make everything better!! I really don't mind being in Bartlesville, OK. I actually kind of like it here. I am happy to be here because this is where God wants me to be! I don't want to be anywhere but where He wants me to be! Thank goodness for a God that can change hearts!
This is what our "thankful tree" looks like now. (We got a late start, or it would be more full!) We have so many more things to be thankful for, but this was a great start! We will look forward to making this a Thanksgiving tradition!
Before we jumped into writing down what we are thankful for we read a little bit of what the bible says about giving thanks.I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:4
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
And then we began writing.(The goal was to do this everyday, but that didn't always happen.)
These are just a few of the things that we have to be thankful for.A few were a little bit surprising to me. Ben put up the boy that has been picking on him as well as a girl at school that has some serious issues. When I asked him why he was thankful for those people, he told me that he is thankful for them because he can tell them about Jesus. WOW!!!
Yes, I am thankful for God's provision and for His grace and all of that. But this year, the first thing that came to mind for me is that I am thankful for the Lord making me content in Bartlesville, OK. Last December the Lord reminded me that I had a decision to make. I could either choose to hate it here and be miserable. Or, I could choose to be content and make the best of being in a place that I don't want to be. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference that has made! Since making the decision to be content, life has been much more enjoyable! I have found some things at church that I really enjoy and I have made so many friends!! Let's all admit that friends make everything better!! I really don't mind being in Bartlesville, OK. I actually kind of like it here. I am happy to be here because this is where God wants me to be! I don't want to be anywhere but where He wants me to be! Thank goodness for a God that can change hearts!
This is what our "thankful tree" looks like now. (We got a late start, or it would be more full!) We have so many more things to be thankful for, but this was a great start! We will look forward to making this a Thanksgiving tradition!
4 comments:
Jamie, this was an absolutely WONDERFUL idea!! I may have to steal it for my family next year. lol It brought tears to my eyes to read what Ben put and what you put. I am so THANKFUL that you are content in Oklahoma!!
I am thankful for your friendship and your blogs. THey are SOOO good!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Ditto to everything Athena said... esp. the part about Ben's comments...they brought tears to my eyes as well! Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family. You are an inspiration!
I LOVE IT!!! What a great idea! It also brought tears to my eyes. I am always surprised at what Ben has to say. He has really matured this last year. Good to see that Luke and Abby also had a lot to be thankful for.
I am thankful for you my friend! I'm very thankful that God sent me to KS and made me pushy enough to force you to talk to me. :O) I love you so much and treasure you and your friendship tons! Thank you for being such a blessing to me and for being a rock and an ear when I need you!! Thanks for adding me/my news to your thankful tree!! Love you dear friend!
Post a Comment