What I Am Thankful For

           

While I love Thanksgiving and think it may be one of my favorite holidays (I mean, who doesn’t love having an excuse to overeat multiple times in one day haha), I think that we should be thankful for the things in our life every day of the year. We shouldn’t put aside just one day to reflect on the things we’re thankful for and then just go about our lives every other day, without even giving those things a thought. Most of us have so much that we take for granted, and I pray that we can cherish all of those things just a little more. I struggle with this a lot. Every time I go on a mission trip and see the way some people have to live I realize how great my life really is. There are days where it seems like nothing is going right, and there are times when I wish I could have triple the amount of clothes that are in my closet currently, but if I just take a second and think about all of the things that are good in my life, the things I want to complain about suddenly don’t seem that important anymore. I have a roof over my head. I have at least three meals a day. I have the privilege of pursuing my Biology degree at an amazing school. I have family and friends who are always there for me. And I have a God who loves me no matter how far away I stray from Him. I wanted to make this post as a way to reflect on just a few of the things I am thankful for this holiday season, and also as a way to challenge myself to become more thankful every day for those things. I want to take time every night before I go to bed to write down three things I was thankful for that day. I think it will make such a big difference in the way I look at my life and those in it.

My Family // I could never put into words how thankful I am for my family. They are always there for me no matter what and choose to love me every single day. They are my biggest fans and always know how to cheer me up and make me laugh and I couldn’t be more thankful for them.

My Friends // From my small group of best friends from high school to the new friends I’ve made during this first semester of college, I couldn’t be more thankful to have friends like them. They know how to make me laugh until I cry, and they are so much fun to be around. It’s so nice to share a love for Jesus and to inspire each other to grow closer to Him each and every day.

My Dog // One of the best parts about coming home from school on the weekends is seeing how happy Bella gets when I walk in the door. She’s the cutest and sweetest thing ever (until she keeps barking for no reason haha) and I would cuddle with her all day everyday if I could (if only she would just sit still haha).

My Country // As crazy as the politics are in our country right now (which I plan on making a few new posts on that here soon), I still love it. The United States of America is the greatest country in the world. There are so many other countries that don’t have nearly as many rights and as much freedom as we do here. We’re allowed to practice whatever religion we want, women have the same rights and opportunities as men, and we have the greatest armed forces in the world (and those are just a few of the many things that make this country great). Those amazing and selfless men and women put their lives at risk for the freedoms and lives of all of us, and I think that we need to be a lot more thankful for them and what they do for us on a daily basis. They are a big part of what makes our country the greatest nation in the world, and I will forever be thankful for them.

God // There is nothing in my life I am more thankful for than God, and the gift He gave us those two-thousand years ago. He sent His only son to come down to Earth, struggle and face a ton of hatred for the thirty some years he was here, and then die the most brutal death in history all to save us from death and our inevitable sin. His unconditional love and amazing grace is unfathomable and I will never be able to express how thankful I am for it.