Thankful Thursday

I consider myself a thankful person. A VERY thankful person. Even the smallest kindness to me or my family is so appreciated & makes me feel so loved. I often feel like I don't know how to accurately show my gratitude. Sometimes I end up going way over-the-top because I want the giver to know how much I appreciate their help, time, gift, or thought. And I always want to do something in return for them. Last night my sister-in-law, Jessie, brought me a carton of fresh strawberries. She was grocery shopping and saw the red beauties for the first time this year. She said that every time she walks by strawberries, she thinks of me & couldn't walk past without picking up a carton for me. We both sat & looked at the berries, amazed at the color & fragrance for January berries! I told her how thankful I was for the special & unexpected treat. I could tell that it didn't matter to her that I was trying to thank her. She just wanted to do that for me & seeing my eyes get big when she handed them to me was enough for her. Her gift was out of love.

I started thinking about this again today when I was having my quiet time. God does things every day, many times a day, for me, just because He loves me. He loves to hear me thank Him, but acknowedging His goodness to me & trusting Him to be faithful again in the future is all He wants from me. I don't need to try to think of some way to repay Him, as if I had a debt I owed Him. I want to spend this year being intentionally thankful for how God is working in my life & I want to begin by specifically setting aside Thursdays to consider His goodness. I pray that every day my heart will overflow with this thankfulness.

Today I am thankful for my Lord & His gentle refinement of my spirit. He is always at work. And I'm thankful for fresh strawberries on my corn flakes this morning ... in January!

What are you thankful for?