Thankful Heart

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

The hustle and bustle of the season has already started. Only 3 days are left before Thanksgiving and 35 days left before Christmas morning but I am determined to enjoy this season to the fullest. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I began thinking about everything for which I am thankful. Just making a list in my mind gave me such joy and peace. I thought about not only big, but also the little things. (Try it! It served to be a gratifying task). Then I started thinking about what I enjoyed most during the holidays. Yep, you got it…food…just joking. I enjoy setting time aside to be around those I love most.

Continuing to reflect I thought of that feeling that warmly fills you when you answer that special phone call, spend quality time with someone you love laughing, talking, crying, listening, eating, or simply just carrying out a task but knowing the other person is right there. I am thankful and blessed for this feeling. This feeling does not come in solitude; it is the result of a relationship.

Then I thought about how the Lord patiently waits for us to seek him. He is never forceful and allows us just as we are to approach him. He will meet us where we are. He too must whole-heartedly enjoy the time spent with each of us as we approach him even for the quick talk, seeking advice, or just having him present in the room as we work on something else. His heart must swell when we notice what he is doing for us or when we say thanks. I am positive Christ is galvanized when we call upon him to spend time with no matter the duration.

Because I am a do-er, I could easily get caught up in the busyness of the next several weeks attempting to do things for everyone else, but I have made a commitment to spend time with Him first and foremost and not lose focus on days ahead. This week as we begin the thanksgiving season, along with me tell Him what you are thankful for several times a day and praise His name. In doing so it will re-energize us as he has a chance to wrap his arms tightly around us.

A song I learned while I was a little girl runs through my mind.

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise, 
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made,
 I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

He has made me glad. He has made me glad. I will rejoice for He has made me glad. He has made me glad. He has made me glad. I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5 NIV)