The Days After

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday yesterday! I know I enjoyed time with family and a great meal. But today is the day after Thanksgiving. Now what?

I was reading Ephesians 1:15-16 this morning. Paul writes, "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."

Black Friday so easily gets us into the commercialized trap of wanting more rather than giving thanks for what has been given. Don't get me wrong...I love to shop! But I wonder how untrue Paul's words are in our lives. 

Do we thank God continuously for each other? We all post on Facebook and Twitter about gratitude for family, friends, health, food, and so much more on the last Thursday in November, but what about Friday? What about this weekend? What about every day until next Thanksgiving?

Part of choosing hope rather than fear requires peaceful gratitude each day. We can't have hope without that peace. So what tries to take your hope and peace away that leads to feelings of  an ungrateful heart? For me right now, it's continued pain from recent medical issues. For others it's the emptiness without love, lack of money, job disappointments, or arguments with family and friends. 

I don't know what steals your joy today, but I encourage you to let it go. Let's continue thanksgivings each day. Let's be grateful for what we have while pushing towards what we want. And when we don't get what we want, let's be thankful for peace that passes all understanding from God who knows what we truly need. 

With Hope,

Sara