BE THANKFUL

Thankfulness is a perspective. Growing up in Orange County in the ’60s and ’70s couldn’t have been a better time for being a kid. Back then, we would ride our bicycles to the beach nearly every day. It was always a great time! We would leave the house early in the morning and come home late in the day. My parents would have nothing to worry about because things were so simple then. As I look back, I am filled with appreciation and I find myself being so very thankful for those days.

In 1977, I had the opportunity to hear the Gospel for the first time and I was profoundly struck by its simplicity and to find out that God had a heart for me. I find myself being more thankful and more appreciative than ever. The perspective I have now is different from when I was younger. Today the things I find myself being thankful for are ever-increasing. My wife and I have raised two daughters and as we look back over the years, we are amazed at how fast time has passed.

How about you? Stop and consider just how much God has blessed you. Are you, like me, humbled by His goodness? Realize that no matter what happens in the future, He is always there for you as you trust Him. Enjoy His abundant blessings and be thankful, and as time goes on there will be even more to be thankful for! Let’s listen to and remember the words of the apostle Paul “. . . and be thankful”.