I'm Thankful

This month many are doing the Thirty-Days of Thankfulness.  I agree with many that it shouldn't be just Thanksgiving, or even the thirty days in November, in which we should express gratitude for the multitude of blessings we have.  I also agree, however, that it shouldn't stop us from using such an excellent opportunity to do it.  So I'll be joining in on the fun.  Imagine, thirty days of consecutive posts from me.

Today's, it's a thankful Quick 5.

1. I'm thankful to be a Christian believer.  My Lord and Savior deserves His own post, and He's going to get it.  But I am incredibly grateful for the community, the family, the Body, the Church, however you want to term the group of believers I belong to.  No, it's not a perfect bunch.  Yes, it's a very motley crew.  Let's face it: we're human.  We mess up; we don't always do the right thing.  In a way, I'm grateful for that or I couldn't be in the bunch.  Still, I'm grateful for those who've gone before and left their testimonies behind.  That I have access to the writings of C.S. Lewis and D.L. Moody, and so  many, many others.  That I can learn from older, wiser believers, both in my home church, but also worldwide by reading their writings.  I'm grateful that I can receive mentoring in this fashion and be challenged in my walk with my Savior.  It's a valuable blessing.

2.  I'm grateful for my home.  Sometimes, if I'll be honest, the fact that I live in "The Box" is a little nerve-wracking, though my particular block is very peaceful.  (The Box is an area named-so by the police for the geographical boundaries of certain streets, but known more for its propensity for gang-related activity.)  I love this old house.  We have great plans for it, that many years down the road our care and work will prove it to be a comfortable and inviting home.  Why exactly we've ended up in The Box, I'm not sure yet.  But Nick and I both feel it's not an accident.  I pray over it, and we hope somehow, someday we can use this great big place for ministry and fellowship.  It's again nerve-wracking, because we are inching forward in ways I would never imagined.  And again, I'm grateful: for a home for my children, for a house I never dreamed we have, and for opportunity to be stretched in ministry, even if I can't yet see the direction it's going.

3.  I'm grateful it's fall now and that the temperatures mostly fall into the "range of perfection": upper-50's to lower-70's.  Every day almost feels like a jewel to be admired before being tucked away.  I love the fact that it's comfortable outside so I can take the kids into the backyard to play.  I'm so thankful for the change of scenery with the change of seasons: falling leaves, brilliant colors, the difference in the light, at once thinner and yet more golden.  Excepting the holidays, it's my favorite time of year.

The view from my window

4.  I am grateful for social media.  Yes.  Yes, I am.  It gives me access to pictures of beloved family members that I rarely get to see.  It's allowed me to be a part of the lives of cousins I might not otherwise have been able to.  It lets me communicate with you.  The world of Facebook and blogging would be incredibly foreign and strange to our great-grandparents in a way; the speed of it, the quality of pictures coming across pixelated screens.  Yes, social media has it's downfalls.  (Hello, what happened to letter-writing and face-to-face meetings?)  But face it: there's immense blessing in being able to have a face-to-face conversation with grandparents in Colorado and friends in Nebraska.

5.  I'm grateful that I don't go hungry.  Sometimes I might lament the downside to having an abundance of food at my fingertips; those extra inches around my waist aren't flattering.  I don't want to be ungrateful or unmindful of the fact that I don't need to worry about  where my next meal might be.  That with careful planning, I don't even need to worry about the quality of that next meal.  So many in this world do.  There are organizations like Compassion and World Vision, the Trash Mountain Project and Doorstep Inc., and many, many others that devote themselves to helping the poor and hungry worldwide.  There are initiatives in our own country to combat childhood hunger.  Schools here in my hometown refuse to close on snow days unless absolutely necessary, because there are kids whose only hot meal comes from the school cafeteria.  I am so incredibly blessed to have food on my table, in my fridge; that my pantry may get a little bare from time to time but never empty.  And I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to pray for and help those who aren't as fortunate.