Sunday Encouragement-Thanksgiving Thoughts

It’s Thanksgiving week. Yes, we get to eat some turkey and stuffing. But that’s not all. This week comes with all kinds of emotions for each of us.

It’s a time to look at our life. We look at the blessings but we also look at the difficult seasons. It’s knowing through all of it Jesus was with us and that’s what we’re thankful for.

Sunday Encouragement-Thanksgiving Thoughts

I remember my first Thanksgiving without my Mom. It was hard and I wanted to get through it quickly.

Right before Thanksgiving week we sang, Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redmon, in church. The words were hard to sing…

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, Lord
Blessed be Your name, Lord

Those words pierced me. Jesus gives and he takes away but I will choose to say Blessed Be Your Name. For the first time I understood those words.

Let’s be honest, none of us like the “taking away” part. Loss is never easy.

I’m learning more and more that thankfulness doesn’t mean that life is easy. But thankfulness is a choice. No matter what the journey brings, I want to choose to say, Lord Blessed Be Your Name.

I know many of you have lost loved ones this year and Thanksgiving is going to be different. There’s one less seat around the table.

Please know that I’m praying for you! I may not know your name but Jesus does. Trust Him. He is always faithful.

Of course, I’m going to share, Blessed Be the Name Of The Lord. Maybe listen to it today with a different perspective. It’s easy to praise Him on the good days but can we praise Him during the difficult days?

 

Have a blessed Sunday friends!

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  1. Thank you for recognizing that the holidays can be very painful for those of us missing a loved one. Our pastor this morning pointed out ways to be thankful for many other things. I am thankful that I had a beautiful relationship with my sister, even though I miss her so much.

  2. I remember the first time we sang that song in church after my only brother had passed away. It was so hard to sing. I cried. The song is so powerful and true. Even though our Heavenly Father does take away those we love, He gives us the strength and love to make it through. Even though he takes away, I will still bless his name. He knows his plan for us and we must trust in him no matter what. Thank you for sharing

  3. Just earlier this week God did a wonderful thing in the realm of giving and answering prayer regarding my daughter and her husband who are missionaries. The very next day we found out my son in love’s mom has to have surgery, a very dire situation. This may not sound like a big deal, but she lives in Senegal, West Africa. Money has to be paid upfront. But because God had provided the other need, my daughter and I were able to pool our funds to pay for the surgery. I began to sing Blessed be you name! God is good and I am thankful! Happy Thanksgiving. I love your blog, it is so much more than fashion and how to dress.

  4. Thanks for sharing Cyndi. Whenever we sing that song as a praise team it moves me more each time. No one likes the take away parts of God’s plan. However we learn and lean on Him in these times and maybe can be a blessing to others afterwards….just like you today!

  5. We miss two at our table not because of death but because my parents age 92 & 93 are languishing in a nursing home. Oh how I want them to be at home with The Lord instead. It is so difficult to see my dad, a strong man and strong man of God, so feeble and with dementia. He was a Baptist preacher and preached until he was 80. My mom has been bedridden for 2 years and has worse dementia than Dad. But I know ” our times are in His hands”.

  6. Thank you for the wonderful praise song to start my day! We are blessed by the blood of Jesus ! Have a blessed day and Thanksgiving!!