It's a Day of Thanksgiving!

As we move in to a day filled with family, friends, football, and well of course food, we must be careful to remember what this day has been set aside for. To give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives, large and small. I am reminded as I think of this day of the things that really matter in life, that being relationships. You know materialistic possessions fade and loose value over time, but true relationships are something that should never fade but grow in love, trust and depth. I am thankful for the many relationships God has blessed me with! First off my wife and family, I have been blessed with an amazing wife that is awe striking in many ways, she is understanding and forgiving... ( a must to still be married to me...lol.), and completely supportive of all of my dreams and visions in life. I am thankful for my children yes all 7 of them...jk all 6 of them. From the oldest to the youngest they have all blessed my life, no matter what we have gone through as a family and through the wonderful learning experiences we have had the kids have always greeted me at the door when I come home and when I leave in the morning they wave and blow me kisses. I am grateful that I have a family that I can come home to every day and know that there is always someone there with unconditional love. I am also thankful for extended family, these are wonderful people that accept you for who you are and love you even if you do not see them for years on end because of the miles between you. True relationships, family, and love have no boundaries, no mileage can stop a true relationship from existing. We have had the opportunity of seeing some family members this year more often than we have in the last 8 years.

 It has been a great year, and I have so much to be thankful for! I had the opportunity to travel the world and make friends 8,000 miles away that opened my eyes to a real joy in life even when you may not make a lot of money and or have all the stuff we often will judge one's success by. There was a genuine joy that I noticed in people, this opened my eyes how materialistic mindsets can skew our way of life negatively to always deserve the next best thing. When in all reality the next best thing may be sitting right next to you, or be a phone call away. I say all this to encourage you to be thankful for more than just your BMW or your new computer, or jewelry, but to look at the things in life that bring real joy. Things are good if you can keep yourself humble, believe me I can't wait to be able to buy a new truck and boat. But keep your head on straight and do not over look the real blessings in life, family friends, and faith. 

Which brings me to the next thing I am thankful for, my faith in Christ. There is a scripture that comes to mind when I think of thanksgiving, it is Philippians 4:6-7 it is one that speaks volumes to people's lives as they battle not only stress and fears, but our daily lives are filled with busyness and trials.

Philippians 4:6-7

^"6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ^7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving! Basically saying hey why are you worried? Don't be worried! Something I like to say a lot is "no worries" because in the grand scheme of life what we are currently going through or worried about doesn't have much weight in the big picture. But in this time of thanksgiving we must remember that we are to come to God with our prayers, but not only come to Him with our prayers but come in an attitude of thanksgiving. Believing what you are coming to Him for He will take care of like a good Father. Come expecting is something we need to start doing, are we coming just for a pity party or are we coming for solutions? I come for solutions, so I come expecting my life to be fixed and better after meeting with Him . I come with thanksgiving because I know if I screwed it up only God can fix it. lol . So I challenge you this thanksgiving to look at your life and what you have to be thankful for beyond your materialistic possessions, and truly see who you have to be thankful for. Always remember that Christ is there for you and we are to come with prayers, supplication, and with thanksgiving!

So as we come to this day of thanksgiving I am looking forward to saying thank you to my Father in heaven for all that He has blessed me with! To all my family and friends I love you all and am sooo thankful that you are in my life! You have blessed me with a life that I will never forget!