a heart of thanksgiving...

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done." 1 Chron 16:8

Although November marks the Thanksgiving holiday the Lord started dealing with me on this subject last month. When I was home I got to go to my old church and I loved it so much! PJ spoke on the 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-19) that Jesus had healed and only one came back to say thank you! I got to thinking about this passage a lot and went back later on and reread it. First of all these men didn’t ask for Jesus to heal them. They wanted His mercy. I think their ultimate goal was healing because they knew that He was capable of that but to have His mercy on their situation would also be a blessing! I ask for the Lord’s healing for Ben all the time! What I don’t ask for that often is the mercy of the Lord! I want the healing here and now! Even though I have not asked for the mercy (compassion shown by one person to another, or a request from one person to another) of the Lord He gives it to us every single day! Jesus gives it to us through his provision, blessings, grace, courage, healing and so many other things!
Later in the passage all the men were healed but only one came back to thank Jesus for what he had done! He was so grateful that he took the journey back to Jesus to thank Him! I again have to look at my own life and wonder if I am the man who came back to Jesus or am I the one that received the healing (Ben’s healing) and just went on with my life and never truly went back to Jesus to say thank you! Ben’s healing has not come all at the same time but it has come in portions! I have been really convicted to look inside my heart and see how thankful I really am! I want to be the one that every time the Lord does something in our lives, whether it be big or small, to return to Him and be thankful with my whole heart! It doesn’t take any longer or any more time in my day to say, “Thank you Jesus for what you have done and what you are doing!”
This last Sunday Ben and I watched a sermon online also from our church back home. The last time Ben and I did this Ben could only stay awake for about 15 min! This time he watched the whole thing and loved it! PT spoke this week and it was on being thankful. PT asked the question, “When we approach God, what do we say?” Well, let me just say that when I come to the Lord many times it is asking Him for something. Lord I need this, Lord do this, Lord give me this, Lord heal Ben 100%! I cannot remember the last time that I just came before the Lord and before asking for something just thanking Him! Again, so easy to do and doesn’t take a lot of time! I think I am so concentrated on the “want” that I forgo the “thanks!” Again convicted straight at the heart!
3 points PT made that I want to apply to my life:
-give thanks obediently!
-give thanks repeatedly!
-expand our thanksgiving!
I have a lot to be grateful for outside of the situation that Ben and I are in! I don’t have enough room to write about it all! All I know is that I have never been this convicted in being thankful in my life time! I want to come before the Lord, as a humble servant, and thank Him before I ask for things. I desire to thank Him at all times and throughout my day! When He blesses us, heals Ben more and does good things for us I desire to come back and thank Him and not be apart of the 9 that just walks away and carries on with their lives!

Ben and I once again got to go to a Stanford football game this past Saturday! Stanford kicked some booty and we had fun! The last game we went to was an afternoon game and really warm, this one was an evening game and it was a bit more chilly! Ben had a new sweatshirt on that was a gift to him so he was nice and warm! Thank you Joe! Ben of course loved it and at the end of 3rd quarter and Stanford was way ahead we headed out to beat the traffic! I told Ben we needed to go (we were with a group) and he said NO!! Poor guy didn’t want to leave! We were gone for 5 hours and Ben did great!!

{on our way!}

(view from our seats}

{ben sayin whoohoo after stanford scored!}







Our date to go to NJ is November 16th!! This is the last date that I was given but it is possible that it can still change! Please pray that it doesn’t change again so that it will not put a damper on Ben’s mood! He wants out of here NOW!! I will keep you posted! Tomorrow I will be shipping boxes to NJ and home and finishing up some things to need to get done around here!
More photos and updates on Ben to come in the next few days...