In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:18
I have so much to be thankful for this year. A warm home, my beautiful family, a happy healthy little girl, a husband who loves and respects me to the core, a God with unconditional love that fills my life with so much joy, wonderful friends, and so much more! It's always easy to give thanks when things are going good. When things are tough and not going good, it can sometimes be a challenge for me to be thankful. I remember about 13 years ago, I had been Christmas shopping with two girl friends. I got home and a few minutes, after walking in the door, got a phone call. One of my friends, who I'd been shopping with that day, had just found out her mom had been killed in a car crash. I will never forget hearing the news. It happened just a few days before Christmas. It was so hard for me to find joy that year. It was so hard to be thankful, when my friends mom would not be able to be with her on Christmas. Even though that Christmas was so hard, I was still able to find things to be thankful for. I was thankful that I could be there for my friend. I was thankful that she had not been in the car. I was thankful for the rest of her family being able to support her. I was so thankful for God's strength to carry me through that time. It's in those situations, I want to learn to lean on God more. God's will for us is to be thankful no matter what kind of situations we may find ourselves in. While it may be hard, it is certainly not impossible with God by our side.
