Thanksgiving: the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of ones benefits or favours, especially to God. An expression of thanks.
I have been back in the home of my heart for a week now. I sit in my living room and I cannot help but be grateful. It is well with my soul. While I miss turkey dinner with my massive and wild family, I have so much to be thankful for.
I am thankful for my family, though they are far. I miss my mama's cookies, uncalled for hugs, and the way she listens. I miss my dad's jokes, his consistency, and the way he loves deeply. I miss my brother's silly and simple heart, our united love for coffee, and the way he dreams without limits. I love you guys. Jesus left a heavenly place with His Father to be with the people He loved dearly. So as I miss them, I find rest in knowing He understands and is with me and with them.
I am thankful for my sweet, crazy boyfriend. He challenges me daily to listen harder to His voice and inspires me to trust my whole life into Jesus' hands. He knows what it is to be away from family, from comfort, and from anything familiar. He understands my heart better than I do some days and I thank Jesus for him, because He is a true gift. I love the way His heart is for the poor and how He selflessly gives of himself.
I am thankful for the hope I see here. I am thankful for the uncalled for moments of my days, like holding little hands, when the power goes out, and the warm greetings of total strangers. I am grateful for the way of life here and how it shakes the way I do things. Tomorrow isn't a promise, and Jesus says to let tomorrow worry about itself. How humbling is it knowing I control nothing in this world? I am thankful for how small I am and how GREAT He is.
I am thankful for the simple comforts of home, like oreos, bagels, and apples. I am grateful for the month I was able to spend in Canada and the way He brought refreshment to my heart.
I am grateful for coffee, the ocean, fans, clean water, and a roof over my head. I am grateful for fresh fruit, the ability to dream, music, and a beating heart. May it beat in line with His each day.
And I am thankful for choices. I have been given a free will. But so much more than that, I'm thankful for His call. A call to a people that are not my own and to a country that I have grown to love deeply. It is a joy to walk in His will.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
-1 Thess. 5:18
