Thanksgiving Thoughts

Welcome to the Third Thursday Blog Hop with Hearts at Home!
Hearts at Home

We are supposed to share our thoughts about Thanksgiving today.  First of all, I love the idea of Thanksgiving, giving thanks to God for all His blessings and being purposeful in our gratitude.  I wish Thanksgiving did not get lost in the commercialism of Halloween and Christmas.  I also feel convicted that I do not always stress the importance of gratitude to my children or set the best example at times.

Growing up, I mostly remember getting together with my grandparents, aunts and uncles on Thanksgiving Day and eating lots of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  My grandmother would also have creamed onions and mincemeat pie, but I never liked them much.  I prefer the broccoli/cheese casserole and sweet potato casserole.  I remember Thanksgiving being a day to hang out with the extended family.  It might be the only time I got to see some of my aunts and uncles and cousins that year.

Even now, it is one of the few times I get to see several members of my extended family.  I love how the only real expectation of the day is to share fellowship with friends and family over a big meal.  We usually have the big meal early in the afternoon and stay together until later in the day, when we can get out some of the leftovers.  My children look forward to the week of turkey leftovers the week after Thanksgiving.  My husband introduced me to turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce on them.  Yum!

This year, I pray we can all enjoy the time together, since you never know what the next year may hold.  I am so beyond blessed to still have 3 living grandparents, and I cherish the time I have with them.

Blessings to all and give thanks to God for them!

Take as Directed

Ever notice the instructions on a bottle of medicine?  It usually says "Take as directed".  I could not help but think about this as I read my Joyce Meyer devotion this morning about the gift of healing.  She said, "Healing can be a process that works somewhat like medicine.  It is necessary to receive it by faith and believe it is working."

If we do not follow the directions for the medicine, it will not work.  Having Advil in my cabinet does me no good when I have a headache, if I don't get it out and swallow the pill.  If you do not take the full course of antibiotics, you run the risk of the bacteria coming back even stronger.

Jesus did heal instantly in some cases, but sometimes He gave extra instructions or forgave first.  Every case was unique as the person being healed.  I think Jesus said it best when He told the woman with the issue of blood "Go, your faith has made you well."

I believe the same is true for our own healing.  God's Word gives us the instructions we need for all sorts of healing - physical, emotional or spiritual.  We will only get the full benefit though if we "take as directed".  We need to read the Bible's instructions, follow the directions, believe in the power and receive by faith.  And it does not always happen instantly.  Praise God, there are still amazing miracles of healing today, but often it is a process over time and sometimes the healing is not the way we want.

I have been working for years now on losing weight and strengthening my back.  I avoided surgery, am pain free and close to my goal weight.  I believe God is the ultimate healer and He could have healed my back and sucked all the extra fat off overnight, but I would not have the habits of exercise and healthier eating and muscle tone I have now.  I have also learned to seek God for satisfaction, not food (although dark chocolate can work in a pinch!). 

God knows what we need and if we will take His Word as directed, life goes much smoother.