As I type these words I imagine some of you are celebrating Thanksgiving, hearts heavy with thankfulness, faces glowing with candle-light and closeness, enjoying family, friendship and fine food.
Or maybe the meal is over and you’re sitting sharing more intimate conversation, listening and laughter. Maybe squabbling (amicably, of course, we are just imagining the best scenario) over who does the dishes and who gets to choose the TV programmes, and will you pass the chocolates, please?
All good gifts. All grace. All manifestations of the myriad ways we are given holy moments in the everyday. Touches of mercy to warm our hearths and hearts.
For it’s in the simple things of life, eating, drinking, breaking bread together that we become connected, members of God’s big family.
United in His love, and by His provision for us, joined by joy in giving and receiving, in encouraging and sharing.
In the daily grind there is always space for blessing, for gratitude, for being kind, recognising grace and giving it to others.
We may just need to ask God to help us to see it and pass it on.
‘Gratitude’
God’s golden-glimmer gifts of grace
discovered in the commonplace
Rest and sleep, deep peace and ease,
soft wind of Holy Spirit breeze
All our hearts desire and need,
awareness of our pride and greed
Trust and faith will light the way
on discouraging, darker days
Invitation, inspiration ignite
the fire to come up higher
Truth seen, received, believed and heard,
witnessed in Jesus as The Word
Understanding of all our faults and flaws,
underpinning of God’s righteous laws
Divine encounters opening heaven’s door
as death is defeated for ever more
Embraced by Love, encouraged
and comforted by God above
©JoyLenton2014
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is greatly helped by deliberately noticing and counting blessings. One of the best resources I know for this is Ann Voskamp’s lovely book, ‘One Thousand Gifts’.
In fact, because this book has had such a beneficial effect on my life, I have a free copy to give away, chosen at random from those leaving a comment below.
I’ll kick things off with my own grace gifts for today:
1) As I pulled the curtains back after a wakeful, pain-filled night, I saw a blaze of heart-shaped light filtering through the gloomy grey outside, edging the clouds like a living thing. It felt like God was saying it’s OK, My love-light can seep through the most challenging nights and days and bring hope back to you.
2) The poem above falling into my head as I pondered on God’s goodness and grace.
3) Having a husband who holds me close even (yes, especially) on my tear-filled, over-tired, angsty days when I feel so unworthy of his love. He is a living reminder of the love of God continually poured out, always giving, faithful and unconditional.
Now over to you:What 3 things are you thankful for today? (you can add more if you wish)
Just leave a comment below to be in with a chance to win a free copy of ‘One Thousand Gifts’. (Offer limited to UK residents only due to postal charges – sorry) But please do leave a comment anyway so that we can share in praising God together for His gifts of grace. PS: I am so thankful for all of you who read and follow this blog. Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day! 🙂
Poetry Joy 
1.Getting lots more decluttering done in preparation for the festive season 2.Having a not very domesticated daughter who has finally decided she should learn how to cook! 😉 3.The realisation that I’ve got through another year in relative peace
Those are great things to be thankful for, Debbie! May the year ahead be one of increasing rest and peace for you. God bless. 🙂 x
Your poetry is such an inspiration to me. Blessings today: seeing sundogs through the eyes of a friend who found them when she opened her curtains; helping others; eating a community feast along with people from many churches in our area, to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
Thank you for your kind words, Connie. I am truly thankful for them! I love the way your gratitude gifts involve helping and being with others because we find our deepest joys in community and sharing. Have a blessed season of thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas ahead. 🙂 x
Even though we don’t have Thanksgiving Day in our country, still you gave us your wisdom how belssed we are.
Your poet is great and I love it. It touches our hearts and bridge us to Jesus.
Happy Thanksgiving Day
Thank you for stopping by to bless me with your encouraging words and to join in the conversation here. I am honoured if my words help make Jesus known to others. We are all blessed beyond measure by God’s great gifts and blessed again in the sharing of them. 🙂 x
Beautiful poem Joy, I’m thankful for my online friends (you included) – for my Littlie who has had a good, stress free, day, for all of my children, and I’m thankful that (through the grace of God, because I’m not sure how else) I have muddled my way through an incredibly difficult week, and for the most part, managed the things Iv’e needed to do 🙂
God bless, Kimmie x
Thank you, Kimmie. I am touched by the things you are thankful for. You (and other on-line friends) have become a huge blessing to me too. And seeing gold midst the dust of painful circumstances is a real gift in itself. May you continue to see God’s hand at work in your life in big and small ways. His grace will strengthen you to be able to cope with what ever comes your way. Blessings to you and yours, dear friend. xox 🙂
I’m thankful that a baby born in a manger gave the best gift of all, for friends with beautiful hearts and the desire to encourage through the difficulties, and for winter evenings when there is somehow warmth in the cold air, walking, chatting and giggling with one too old to identify as a child and yet still so far from being an adult.
Hi Mandy. It’s lovely to see you here! Thanks very much for sharing your grace gifts so eloquently. They are a wonder to be sure and a way to warm a heart on cold winter days. Blessings and love to you. xox 🙂
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