In this season of very hard stuff mingled with thanksgiving, my thankfulness list keeps me grounded.
I’ve learned much by sitting and listening to God. If you’ve been reading Echoes of Grace, you have heard many of my ponderings.
All of those ponderings could fit into these three categories:
- God loves me personally and unconditionally. His love was not something I earned, it was God’s heart and his gift to me. I just became aware of it. I love Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:4. “Long before he laid down the earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.” As rendered by Eugene Peterson in The Message. God settled on me, on you, as the focus of his love. WOW!
- God’s purpose for my life is wrapped in his love. Another way to say that is God’s purpose for me and his love for me are two sides of the same coin. Ephesians 1:5 speaks loudly of that. “In love he predestined us for adoption according to the purpose of his will.” ESV
- God himself keeps the responsibility for my purpose in his court. This is very encouraging. Psalm 138:8, “The Lord … will fulfill … his purpose … for me; your steadfast love, O Lord endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” ESV And do you see it? His purpose for me is wrapped in his love.
I am very thankful.
My friend Cheri oiled my thinking. My thanksgiving list expanded.
Our stories are not finished yet. Thank you God.
God’s mercies are new every morning. Yes and thank you.
God is at work even when I’m unaware. Phew, what a relief. Thank you.
God knows my name AND has given me a new name for me to mature into. His new name defines me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
All this leads me to some thanksgiving questions …
Am I truly trusting these truths or am I merely connecting with them intellectually?
Is my thankfulness leading me to rest in the security of these truths?
Am I experiencing God at work on my behalf every morning?
Do I know God’s name for me?
What eternal truths are you thankful for?
What quality of God speaks most loudly to you this Thanksgiving?
What questions do these truths raise for you?
How do you allow these truths to transform you?
Blessings to you this Thanksgiving.
Copyright, Sue Tell, November 2020
As I have deeply struggled the last few weeks even praying I am thankful for that unconditional love. That no matter what my feelings say, the truth that I am loved does not change. And I am deeply thankful God brought people into my life who, even though they can’t fight the battle for me, are cheerleaders that will not allow me to give up on myself. Everybody needs a cheerleader when times are tough. The most humbling thing I heard from a friend when I told her I could not even pray was “then I will pray for you until you can.” So thankful for friendships like that!!
Yes, God’s love and our feelings or awareness of it are not the same. Thanks for the reminder Becky. And I too know times of needing others to pray because at the moment it is beyond me.
Glad to finally be a cheerleader (that was beyond me in high school ).
FMA, sue