Do you have some favorite things you look forward to doing on the weekends?
I know I do. Aside from some additional “me” time for my yoga and exercise classes, the usual household chores, and running around, I absolutely love savoring the simple weekend traditions we’ve created as a family.
In reminiscing back to the carefree weekends of my childhood, I had a flashback of not only playing outside, and visiting my grandparents, but of anticipating my turn, to read the “funnies,” aka the comics, in the Sunday newspaper!
Even then, the cartoonists’ simple laughable words always seemed to make a point, and this was the one coveted day of the week where my favorite characters: “Cathy,” “Blondie,” and Charlie Brown in “Peanuts,” would step out of black and white and appear in living color.
As I took a trip down memory lane, I was reminded that Charles Schultz, the creator of “Peanuts,” freely shared his Christian insight in exceptional ways.
Most known for his character, Charlie Brown, and his catch phrase, “Good grief,” I happened to stumble upon another phrase penned by Schultz in his Emmy Award winner, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
“What if today we were just grateful for everything?” Charlie Brown asked.
Wow! What if you and I were grateful for everything?
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is known to bring forth positive energy, greater satisfaction, and decrease anxiety. Being thankful improves one’s overall well being, creates a healthier you, and the practices of mindfulness and prayer support this view. So why wouldn’t we?
It isn’t always easy. We live in a world that values prestige, power, and the accumulation of things, making it difficult to trade self centeredness and greediness for thanksgiving and holiness.
What if you and I lived with greater intention, and truly accepted Jesus’ invitation?
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen that you may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3)
“Do not conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12: 2)
The truth is the closer we walk with Jesus, the more we praise God.
Adopting holy ways is how you and I grow in gratefulness, allowing us to recognize blessings both big and small. For the air we breathe, the blanket that keeps us warm at night, and the gift of each new sunrise couldn’t happen without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thanking God for walking with us through life’s setbacks, disappointments and loss reminds us that He is always at our side.
“Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Even in the turmoil we experience, David writes,
“God is our refuge and strength, an everlasting help in trouble.” (Psalm 46: 1)
Gratefulness allows you and I to recognize and share God’s goodness and movement in our lives. It is then that you and I can truly worship in praise,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)
My prayer for you, my sister, is that during this season of giving thanks, that your sacred journey into your soul allows you to envision the abundant blessings God has in store for you.
Until next time…
May the Spirit of God lead you, the Word of God sustain you, and the promises of God grant you the gift of everlasting peace.
Love and blessings.
Let me know how I can pray for you at sue@faithfirstwomen.com I’d love to hear from you!
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Pick up your free Companion Journal to Nourish Your Soul: 7 Secrets for Women Seeking Peace at www.FaithFirstWomen.com, and choose the softcover or Kindle version of Nourish Your Soul: 7 Secrets for Women Seeking Peace
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