Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
I've been thinking for the last few days about what I am REALLY thankful for. Of course, there are the obvious things. .my faith, my family, our friends, a warm home, my work. .and a multitude of God's provisions for me. I wanted to go beyond the obvious, and reflect on something deeper. There are so many things to be truly thankful!! I finally chose to be prayerfully thankful for mercy. 

Life is hard. .REALLY hard. We're not perfect. .we're human. .ALL of us! We get some things right. .and we screw up plenty of other opportunities. .if you are like me. .it occurs on a daily. .if not hourly basis!! I find it so hard to overcome my "human-ness."
But. .
Great is His faithfulness, His mercies are new each day. Lamentations 3:23
That's my favorite scripture verse in the whole Bible!
The dictionary definition of mercy goes a little bit like this. .
mer·cy/ˈmərsē/Noun:
1.Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm: "the boy was begging for mercy".
2.An event to be grateful for, esp. because its occurrence prevents something unpleasant or provides relief from suffering.
Despite all the things I do wrong. .all the situations I could have handled differently, but chose not to. .all of the times that I have been a person I wouldn't even want as my child. .Despite ALL that..God continues to provide for my needs and those of my family. He has the POWER to punish me regularly for my shortcomings and downright disobedience. .but He DOESN'T!! That is mercy!!  Not only does He not sentence me as I might sentence my kids. .but He also provides for many of my desires. .which are usually different from my NEEDS! WOW! I would love to be a parent like that. .and I am so thankful that I have an eternal Father like that!

Maybe you have read 103:8-14 before with your own eyes. .and maybe you haven't. .Those promising verses follow. .I know how easy it is to skim through the words only half reading. .but I challenge you all to read them. .twice if you can. .and really consider what David was telling us when he wrote those attributes of our heavenly Father.

Psalm 103:8-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust

I am SO thankful that each day, God wipes my slate clean and lets me try again. And that, mercifully, He still loves me as much at the end of the day as He did at the beginning of the day.
 
1 Chronicles 16:34 reminds us to Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. .His mercy endures FOREVER!

I would be honored if you would take a moment and comment about something you are truly thankful for today!
Blessings and lots of love on this wonderful celebration of Thankfulness!
Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
--Mary Fairchild

Happy Thanksgiving!

7 comments:

  1. A very Happy Thanksgiving to you , Melanie!!

    I'm thankful for so many things, and don't laugh, but blogging is one of them. I've "met" so many wonderful people and each of them brings lessons and points of views I wouldn't ordinarily have access to. I'm grateful for the support, the different viewpoints, and the myriad tidbits of really great advice. What a wonderful world it has opened up.
    And gee, you might even have a visit from a Flat Stanley thrown in!!
    :)

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  2. I'm thankful for you and your family, and that little girl of yours who can make me shake my head and laugh my butt off at the same time. =) Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  3. Thanks for this post! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. I think a lot on that thing about a "clean slate," and the fact that each morning is a new start. Also thankful that God is patient with me!

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  4. Melanie, your post was so good to read. Thanks so much for sharing your God! His mercies are new each day!
    During our Thanksgiving dinner, my daughter and I shared what we were thankful for. Family was a blessing for us. A little sad today because my two boys were not here.
    Best wishes to you and yours!

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  5. Once again, you've found the perfect verses to hit my heart today! "Great is Thy Faithfulness", a song that makes my friend tear up, & thru her eyes, I've found new meaning in that song. And, the verse, today reminds me again that I am so thankful for so much. Of course, the family, friends, food, etc...but especially for the fact that as the troubles of our life come crashing like boulders onto my shoulders, I can pass those troubles on to God. He lifts the load, & I have faith that He will give me the strength to handle the "boulders" one at a time. He will give me the wisdom to find a way, He will continue to be there every time I take the wrong turn, & He will continue to love me as I am.
    How very thankful I am for God's love.

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  6. Wow, great thought provoker! I would say Redemption. I am so thankful that he chose to buy me back even though I was such a mess. That would be mercy, wouldn't it? :) I love what Christ is doing in me even though it is hard. Growing is good, even better when you get to share the process with great friends! DJ

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  7. Melanie, this post is absolutely wonderful. Everything you wrote was so eloquently said. I am really glad you posted this because, you know, I really don't think to remember that God wipes our slate clean every day. I know he is merciful and forgives us, but really, when I really THINK about starting new each day wiped clean of my sins and pathetic human tendencies...wow! I know I've heard that before, but it must have been a long time ago..because I feel like I am hearing it for the first time and really "getting" it.

    Look at you!! You have just ministered to me this morning! You go girl. Thank you for this post!! It does make me feel better..it doesn't give me an excuse to be careless or cranky or bad, but it gives me great thankfulness for the mercy from God, that we can make mistakes and poor choices, yet we are STILL forgiven.

    So what am I grateful for today??? I have to say, the biggest thing that I am grateful for every day, every single solitary day...is that every day, I wake up and I'm alive, and my children and husband are here and alive, and we are healthy, and not in pain. That's pretty much it. It doesn't matter if the day is good or bad, it's that we get to experience all of it. Life is a gift from God and man do I appreciate it and thank Him for it.

    I am also grateful that we can ask God for help. I try to never ask God to do the work for me...but to work through me. I always ask him to show me the way, show me how, show me where, help me to know what to do and what to say..to guide me. This pertains to everything!! Not just the big stuff, but the small stuff too. And then of course, I do know when it is not for me to do, but for Him to work, in His way and His time.

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