My husband wrote a sweet surprise note thanking me for all I did today and placed it on my night stand. Because he did that, it made me think to write a note to him and each of my kids to thank them for something.
And because my son saw the note, it made him want to write notes to his sisters about why he’s thankful for them.
Then my daughter did the same. A spirit of thanks is contagious.
As Thanksgiving approaches, who in your home can you write a surprise note of thanks too? Take a quick second and do that now- you might make their week.
Along with writing the notes this week, share this story from Luke 17 with your kids to show how giving thanks is close to the heart of Jesus:
On Jesus’ way to Jerusalem, there were ten really sick men who no one would come close to. They stood at a distance and loudly asked Jesus to heal them. Jesus walked right up to them and healed every one of them.
When ONE of the men saw he was healed, he praised God loudly, threw himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to the man, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Let’s be the one who also “comes back” to give thanks to the Lord and to give thanks for one another. Happy early Thanksgiving!
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
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The book, “The Hiding Place”, written by Corrie ten Boom, a famous evangelist during the Holocaust, is one of my favorites.
I’m in awe of Corrie and her family’s bravery in hiding and saving so many Jews. I think of the angst they must have felt as bombs exploded overhead and soldiers marched the streets.
I’m amazed at how Corrie and her sister, Betsie, still gave thanks and shared the love of Jesus in the barracks of the concentration camp, despite their circumstances.
I shared the story to my kids of Paul praising God in prison. I am in awe of his strength while in chains.
I am inspired by those who draw on the Lord for their strength and hope as their child, parent, or they themselves, fight cancer or another sickness.
I think of those of us who have lost loved ones in this season, and how difficult it is, yet how we can still find hope in Jesus through it all.
I also think about how in the midst of all the changes here and now, what doesn’t change, and will never change, is the Lord.
How He is bigger than anything we will face, how he offers hope right now, today, in this moment – and how the Lord loves us so very much.
I think of the upcoming holidays and how they will look so different. And, I wonder, how can we bring glory to God in the midst of heartache and difficult circumstances?
And, my mind moves to God’s Word to, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
Everything doesn’t always turn out how we think it will, but one moment at a time, we can choose to give thanks, so we can experience God’s kingdom here, bring God glory, and remember that our greatest hope is not in the here and now, but in the Lord.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving full of giving thanks.
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You can find my new Mother-Daughter Devotional here:
Linsey Driskill 