Thanksgiving is more than a once a year celebration for the Christian. My dear friend, Marcie Bridges reminds us through her beautiful poetry that we are to practice Thanks-living every day! Happy Thanksgiving!
Wandering Wednesdays
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1
THANKSGIVING PRAYER
As friends and family gather around
This Thanksgiving may our hearts abound
With love and laughter and gifts of the heart
For another year God did impart.
Whether heartache or heartbreak, whatever befell
In sorrow or joy we remember this well
That God in His infinite mercy and grace
Has brought us together once again on this day.
May we always be thankful for the good and the bad
For times in good health and times we were sad
Whether rich or poor may we open our door
To the unloved, unlovely, hopeless and frail
God grant us love to all who hover near.
Let us always be humbled by the gift of God’s Son
For each brand new day He has granted to us
In each moment, each hour, may we never forget
To soak in Thanksgiving brings the greatest of gifts.
~Marcell Warner Bridges
©2014, All Rights Reserved
I love Thanksgiving. I love that we set a special time each year to celebrate how God has supplied our needs and I am especially grateful for a day to set aside for spending with our families.
But one thing I’ve learned the last few years is how important it is to give thanks to God every single day. Thankfulness is essential for our Christian walk because it softens our hearts and focus’s our mind to God instead of on us and our circumstances. Maybe we give thanks for one thing each day, or maybe we find a whole bunch of things to thank Him for as we fall asleep each night. I think there is something we can give to God every day as a prayer of gratitude.
Maybe I’m just too much of an optimist. Yet, we read in the Psalms how David gave thanks to God even for the hard times. And Jesus Himself gave thanks before eating the Passover Supper with His disciples (giving thanks for the breaking of his bones and the spilling of His blood —Luke 22:14-20). How can we not be thankful for all things?
I pray we learn to live each day with a heart of thanks-living through thanksgiving.
In Christ’s Love,
Marcie Bridges
About the author:
Marcell Warner Bridges is wife, mother, and currently a student at Lenoir-Rhyne University studying for her Bachelors of Arts in English. Marcell has been writing poetry since a young age and desires to encourage others in their walk with Christ through the written word. Marcell has been published in several anthologies and frequently shares her work through her blog: Heart Thoughts http://marcieheartthoughts.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mwbheartthoughts/?fref=ts
Twitter: @Marcie_Bridges
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MarcieBrid/
3 Comments
Marcie, I love the thought of “thanks-living”. It really is a key to the Kingdom, isn’t it? Thanks for your encouragement in this area. Norma, thank you for sharing Marcie with us 🙂
Yes, I truly believe it is. Paul reminds us so often to give thanks for all things. I can’t help but think that he, too, would like the idea of thanks-living. Thank you for the encouragement Nan! 🙂
Thanks for this good word on thanks, Marcie! May God help us to remember to give thanks every day. In hope of encouraging that too, I’m highlighting your post on the Christian Poets & Writers blog http://www.christianpoetsandwriters.com.