Thankfulness

This week has had me thinking about being thankful. Yes, we have all heard the scripture, "in all things give thanks." The word of God is overflowing with thankfulness and how to be thankful in all things. Some would argue that those rules pertain only to the individuals/groups of people in the Bible. WRONG!! There are certainly amazing stories throughout the bible of God's grace, mercy, provisions, forgiveness, love, and so much more. There are instances that people could have cursed him and turned from him completely. Look at Job, he was a righteous man who loved the Lord. Even through his suffering, he thanked God. His own friends were telling him to curse God and die. I think he got a glimpse of the bigger picture...or maybe an aspect of God's character that we could only hope to see. Paul had so much persecution thrust upon him just by carrying out the great commission. Through his love for the Lord he took up that cross and carried it. Now, I am not saying that we are going to be beaten and imprisoned..which is still possible. Just a little insight to being thankful in all things. So, why this topic you ask? Like I said, this week has got me thinking about thankfulness. Some days this week seemed a little sluggish..whereas others, like today, seemed to be full of things to do and get done. My morning started off with my devotional, then walking the dogs, eating breakfast, heading to Kohl's in search of new pj's, then to Lowe's to pick up landscape lumber, then to walmart for meds, then home to weed and start fixing up the garden. Not to mention, starting seedlings for the garden, weeding the garden on my hands and knees or bent over, bathing the dogs, switching out my wardrobe with summer clothes...yeah...busy day! Anyway, today while I was out in the beautiful sunshine with a nice breeze weeding the garden, there was a moment when I was almost done and I was getting quite tired. I got on my knees right in the dirt and prepared to pull up a big weed. I stopped for a moment and thought, "what if I couldn't do this?" What if something as "simple" as pulling up weeds was not possible for me? I thanked the Lord for allowing me the ability to not only be out in the sun, but to be able to sustain physical labor. I remember pulling potato vines in Pa's backyard as a young girl. I remember helping at my house with vines in the backyard. I appreciate that my Pa taught me the value of manual labor and that it was okay to get dirty. I am also thankful that he taught me to thank the Lord for all things. Things that we have to do and keep us busy. After weeding, I sat down with some pots and other containers to plant seedlings in hope of beautiful flowers in a month or so. I had my music on in the house and the song, "Lift my Eyes" came on. So, that got me thinking about the "weeds" in my heart. Am I willing to pull them out as easily as I did with the tangible garden weeds? Have I thanked God for what he is going to do for me and what he will bring me through? I think it's important to thank God not only for what he has done, but for what he WILL do. Even though it will hurt sometimes, he has our best interest at heart and there are weeds that are deeper rooted than others. As I sit here typing, my fingers, fingernails, back, and neck are sore. This pain will go away and I am thankful for being able to feel what I did. The pain of holding onto the weeds in your heart, however, are going to pain you as long as you let them. So, here is my question, "are you willing to pull the weeds?" Do you want to dig up the hurt and the deep roots that are damaging your spirit? I won't lie, it's not an easy process and it shouldn't be taken lightly. It is a process that is necessary though, and it is a process..not a quick fix. Don't let the weeds overrun your heart. Don't let them get so big that you can't see or hear the truth anymore. Dig them out and allow God to plant seeds of love, forgiveness, hope, perseverance, whatever you may need from him. Thank God beforehand for showing you what needs to be pulled. Thank him for the everyday things that you are able to do. Don't take his gifts for granted. I pray that you are able to "pull the weeds" this week! Many blessings and happy gardening!!