Thanksgiving VIII ~

10-16 January:  During the past week, I have been thankful to know that the happiest people don’t necessarily have financial security, vibrant health & perfect relationships; thankful to know that the happiest have complete trust, immovable faith, and unquestioning obedience in whatever God allows in their lives, whether good of bad; thankful that even when we don’t understand why, "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan." (Romans 8:28; VOICE); thankful for the daily blessing in recognizing our Father's faithfulness to His Word; thankful for the house we live in and its many comforts; thankful for this message from Isaiah 43:1-3: ". . . Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One. . . ." (TLB); thankful for the choice to opt for happiness - each day brings many opportunities to change the focus of our thoughts, choose the thoughts that make a happy heart; thankful that the Creator made us capable of self-repair when provided adequate nourishment and rest;  thankful to know that the happiest people don’t necessarily have financial security, vibrant health & perfect relationships. The happiest have complete trust, immovable faith, & unquestioning obedience in whatever God allows in their lives, whether good of bad. Even when they don’t understand why, they know that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28; from the old KJV); thankful for the daily blessing in recognizing our Father's faithfulness to His Word; thankful for the luxury of waking when sleep is finished - I prefer early rising, for I have become a "morning person", but I guess I need to get to bed earlier if I want to be awake for the most of my productive hours! I was thankful for answered prayers, my own and those of others in my behalf; thankful for these words from Isaiah 45:5: "I am the Eternal One; there is no other God but Me, and even though you don’t know Me, I am preparing you for victory." (VOICE); thankful for the mechanical servant humming across the hall to prevent any need for me to do laundry on a scrub-board; thankful to have an assistive device that can help me deal with a painful Achilles tendon; thankful as I read these words Jesus said when He lived among us: "If you hear My voice and abide in My word, you are truly My disciples; you will know the truth, and that truth will give you freedom." (John 8:31-32; VOICE); thankful for the messages in the Word, its guidelines for a life of blessing; thankful for all the promises therein, especially those where God says, "I will . . . ." (see Ezekiel 36:22 and onward - as an example); thankful, too, for all the evidences of our loving Creator in the natural world around us - "... God surveyed everything He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating its goodness...." (Genesis 1:31; VOICE).