Not Just At Christmas
As we quickly approach more of the holidays, the end of 2021, and the beginning of 2022, let us remember to be grateful and thoughtful. Let’s not get caught up in the materialism and commercialism of the holidays. 2021 has been another year with many losses. Many people have lost loved ones, friends, jobs, homes, etc. But when we slow down and reflect on life, even just looking in the mirror, should remind us of how much we have to be grateful for. I Thessalonians 5:18 AMP, says, “in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” That scripture encourages us to thank God for every situation we face, whether it is good or bad. No, we are not being commanded to be rejoiceful for tragedies or terrible events that have taken place in our lives. Instead, we are advised to thank God for being with us and protecting us during our hardships or trying times. We should thank Him for never leaving us or forsaking, us just as He promised in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Furthermore, Hebrews 13: 5, reminds us to “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” We should thank Him for being our strength, Isaiah 40:29, says, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” II Corinthians 12: 9, says, “And he said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Both of those scriptures emphasize that even when we are weak God provides us the strength we need to stay the course if we trust him to do so. I admonish you to find comfort in His Word knowing that nothing is too hard for God and He will see you through every test and every trial.
As we are being grateful for our own lives let us think of others around us that have suffered loss as well. And even if they haven’t suffered loss, let someone know they are thought of and that you sincerely care, not just during the holidays but throughout the year. I recently celebrated my birthday; I was blessed with gifts and lots of Happy Birthday wishes. It really blessed me just to know that people were thinking of me. Just the fact that God put me in their heart. My heart feels warm just thinking about it. My best friend since kindergarten celebrated her birthday about a week or so after mine. When I reached out to her to wish her a Happy Birthday, she told me she was sorry that she had missed mine. My response to her? I let her know she had not missed it! On my birthday she was in the process of switching phones and my number was in her old phone. However, she posted on Facebook for my brother and two of my cousins to tell me, “Happy Birthday and I love her”, along with an explanation as to why she couldn’t tell me herself. No, I don’t have an active Facebook account right now, but the message was delivered to me through both my cousin and my brother. That’s just one example of how God works and how his grace is sufficient. Even though my friend thought she missed my birthday God made a way for me to receive the birthday wish from her even though she couldn’t reach me by telephone that day. I let her know that was the highlight of my day that she would go to that extreme just to make sure I got the message! It made me feel special. That’s how I want to make people feel all year long. I hope you will join me in doing so, it won’t always be easy because everyone is different. So, for some it may be a challenge, but God can help us with that too.
As I end this last blog post for the year 2021 and the first for the year 2022, I would like to thank each of you for your support and prayers, for visiting my website and reading my blogs and Amazing Mondays! I also want to thank you for sharing my blogs and subscribing to my Amazing Mondays. I pray each of you have been encouraged in your own way throughout the year. I want you to know that you are greatly appreciated, and you are special to me.
I Love You and God Bless You!
