An Attitude of Thanksgiving

Do you ever stop and think about where God has taken you? Have you given Him something in your life and seen what He did with it? I am in amazement right now looking back over the last 4 months. These 4 months have been completely different than anything I could have imagined. I started Transition Ministry in July with a plan in mind, and God blew that plan away. He has taken it and gone further than I could have ever dreamed. I am sitting here right now in amazement and thankful for so many different things. God truly does something special when we put our lives, goals, and dreams in His hands.

We just got done celebrating Thanksgiving here in the Dominican Republic. This country does not celebrate Thanksgiving, but we get together with some of the American missionaries around the country to celebrate. This year we had about 20-25 people. We also have a special Thanksgiving chapel with the afternoon English students and a Thanksgiving dinner with the families of the teachers. I was asked to preach at the Chapel this year and it was a great privilege. Eating with the missionaries was an incredible time to share with others in ministry and give God the thanks for what he deserves. I thank God for every day that I have here in this country. I thank God for each one of you that supports me and my ministry. I would not be here if it wasn't for the support and prayers of each one of you. I cannot thank you all enough. It is truly a blessing and an honor.

However, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday or one day a year to give thanks to God. We should be living a daily lifestyle of thanksgiving. Scripture tells us to rejoice in the Lord and come before him in thanksgiving. It says to be thankful in all things and in all circumstances. Paul teaches to be thankful in the good and the bad. It is so easy to be thankful for what we have when things are good, but very hard when we are going through a difficult time. I try to teach my students that we can find something to be thankful for no matter what we are going through. Living with a lifestyle of thanksgiving allows us to see the positive in life and helps us to treat others with respect. Try waking up each morning with an attitude of thanksgiving and see how it changes your day. It won't only change your life, but it could change the lives of the people you come into contact with. God bless!!