November has to be one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do men grow some funny looking stashes and great beards, but it reminds us to think on the things we are thankful for. There are changes taking place all around and it is noticeable in the leaves and in the stirring of our hearts. Though the weather may hold a chill, these are months full of warmth, gratitude, and the color orange (and green and red), so pull out your favorite sweater and a cup of coffee and let it snow.
It has been a personal tradition these past few years to sit down and challenge myself to write and think on what it is I am thankful for. There may be a few different surprises this year and it's my prayer that we will come out of it with our eyes taken off of ourselves and fixed solely on Christ.
I don't want to just list the stuff I'm grateful for. I want to bathe in it. I want my heart to burst open with the joy of it all," (Christine Kane).I am thankful...
THAT GOD PREPARES ME AND GOES WITH ME
As I sat
in contemplation of all that I was thankful for, I found it rather difficult to
name them. I sat and prayed and dug in my mind, but once I started to list a
few things I realized that I have so much to be grateful for.
The first
thing I think of, something I am beyond grateful for, is this opportunity the
Lord has given me to study abroad.
The days
here are full and it’s more than just class time and homework. Being here I
have every day, all day to focus on the Lord, to dig into His word, and to seek
him. He is in it all from the little, day-to-day routines, to who I might meet
at a café. The days are full of Christ.
I realized
something very important in that it should be this way always. It is not
limited to my time in another country, but every single day of my life should
be full of Christ. Have you ever gone up to a retreat or church camp? Christ is
so evident in those places, but He is not only found in the mountaintop
experience. He is living in us and when we seek Him we will find Him.
I am so
thankful for this time of training where all I have to think on every day is
Christ. It’s my prayer that we might not leave Christ at church or on top of a mountain, but that His presence would envelope our lives and His light will
shine evidently through us, all to the glory of His name.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, (Psalm 119:105).
