SALT Challenge - Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving (a day late!) Sorry for the delay in posting...we were running around like crazy yesterday morning getting ready for our Thanksgiving celebration and then we were running around trying to comfort a sick child. Our oldest ended up spending his Thanksgiving with a fever and a bucket...poor boy. We felt so bad for him...so I took our youngest to our friend's house for a few hours (try to avoid the germs!) and then brought home lots of leftovers for my hubby and our sick one. Thankfully, he is on the mend today and will hopefully be able to enjoy some turkey for lunch. On to this week's SALT challenge, brought to us by Mona. You can read her write up on the SALT blog. Since yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US, we spent part of the day considering all that we have to be thankful for...not that we're not thankful every day but it's good to really ponder how good God has been to us each and every day of the year. Our church has a Thanksgiving Eve service where we start by eating dinner together and then spend an hour singing hymns and telling the church about specific things we're thankful for...I thought I'd share what my husband wrote for the event. "In the last year, our family has had many changes to face, trials to endure, and blessings to enjoy. Throughout everything, one thing has remained consistent, God's mercy, love, and patience has been evident all year. We are thankful for the way He continues to sustain His church here in Exeter. We are thankful for all of you, the fellowship and friendships we have here are such a blessing to us. Countless times when we have needed help in one way or another, you have been there for us, and we are grateful. This past year we also were faced with the tough decision to sell our house here in Exeter and despite listing our house in the dead of winter (in a down economy), we were able to sell quickly and find a suitable home just seven miles away. God provided just what we needed at just the right time. I am also thankful to God for my wife, and my two boys. God continues to bless our lives with love for each other, and a unified love for Him, which is certainly a reason to give Him praise and thanks."

I also wanted to give praise to God for His faithfulness in preserving His children. I have found that this year, in particular, He has brought many of my faults to my attention and has exposed my weaknesses in a way that has caused me to rely more fully on Christ. I tend to be one of those "self-sufficient" types (you'll frequently hear me say, "I don't need help, I can do it myself!") and that attitude can come across in my spiritual life as well. It's been good (although difficult) to have God use ordinary circumstances to help me see how much I need His help. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We're thankful that our boy is feeling much better today and are looking forward to spending the day after Thanksgiving together as a family...with everyone healthy! :-) (On my card...it's digital! Tanis created a digital card last week and I thought it was a brilliant idea! This was a fun project to create! Enjoy!