Thanksgiving... I spent a very long time looking for the perfect bible verse to describe why we should all be so thankful. I searched until I realized that no verse was going to satisfy me because I was feeling very un-thankful. Time for a reevaluation! Yea, thanksgiving break has been a little more difficult then I expected, but I claim & profess that I will praise the Lord in all times and be thankful in all circumstances... yet here I am, feeling sad and sorry for myself, and the idea of praising God - well, if I'm honest, I just don't want to. It's a struggle between heart and mind, what I know and what I feel. I know I am thankful, yet I feel like I'm some tragic figure that has nothing at all in her life to rejoice in. ::Cue pity music::

Enough of that. I am a type-A driven person, I can get myself out of this funk. [See "Brothers and Sisters"]
... all I need to do is figure out what I am thankful for. So begins the list: friends, family, a roof over my head, food on the table, health, safety ... I think I stole this list from some hallmark greeting card.

Really what am I thankful for?

• friends who ask me what I'm doing for my birthday a month in advance, so they can plan accordingly.
  
• grandmothers who prepare all my favorite foods for dinner, even though she isn't feeling well.
  
• stories of healing, love, and happiness shared with an entire church congregation so everyone can give thanks
• music that brings tears to my eyes (see: Steven Curtis Chapman's new cd or any Andrew Peterson song)
• hugs from cousins who "just want to see you real quick before going to Mom's for thanksgiving" and promises to save a piece of Aunt's famous pecan pie. Heck, I'll save you a whole pie for another hug!
• a roof over my head, food, and safety... it may be cliche, but I am quite happy to have these things.
  
• promises: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are mine. I will never be alone. I am loved more than I can ever imagine. I will find rest & refuge. No trial will be given to me that I cannot handle. I can do all things through Christ. A covenant that cannot be broken.
  

I am thankful for many things, but a lot of those things could be taken away in an instant. Would I still be thankful? Tonight I asked a friend what she was thankful for, and she said Jesus, because anything else she would be thankful for is because of him, so he covers everything. At first, I claimed cop out because I wanted a list of things she was thankful for, but she reminded me that Jesus is enough. His promises are good and true and enough. HE is enough. I do not need more to be thankful for.

And so, with that simple remark from a friend, I think I'm on my way to rediscovering the goodness of resting in God's grace, and for that, I am thankful.