Being Thankful on Thanksgiving

In America we celebrate Thanksgiving every last Thursday of November.  It takes us back to the time of the Pilgrims having a meal together, being thankful for the blessings they have.

So every year Americans take Thanksgiving day as a day to express thankfulness (obviously hopefully not the only day).

So, what am I thankful for this year?  I am thankful for so many things. But as I began to process all that I am thankful for, I realized that the source of all my thankfulness stems from God.  In particular, God’s provision and faithfulness.

It’s out of these 2 things that all my blessings have come from.  I am thankful for…

1. My girls. Oh how great my girls are (how smart, loving, caring, beautiful they are…just to name a few)…it’s all comes from God’s provision. How? Because I’m such a mess up, it HAS TO BE GOD’S PROVISION for me not messing them up..too much anyways.
2. My extended family.  We’re crazy…I know that. But I can’t imagine where I would be today without them. I can’t imagine going through one of the hardest times in my life and not having them. How is this God?  HE HAS PROVIDED me a great family to support me.  The Queen of that was always my mom.  Such an advocate for her family.  I miss her so much, but I am grateful that I have who I have around me today.  They are a blessing.
3. My friends. If you know me, you know I’m a little bit of an interesting character sometimes – not quiet sane.  But my friends have been so great and have supported and cared for me in ways that I wouldn’t have made it to my 40s without them.  There are really too many to personally name here but I hold dearly my friends and I value their friendship.  GOD HAS PROVIDED me with people who love me, care for me and will stand by me, even in the midst of the craziest #tompounderproblems.
4. My work and New Life Christian Church.  I love my job.  I absolutely love it.  I started out in Student Ministry as a lowly middle school intern for Will Cravens.  And over the years (17 of them to be exact) I loved working in Student Ministry.  But the past few years, a transition was happening and I didn’t even recognize it.  But New Life did and they provided me with a  new opportunity to use technology to help people discover life and purpose through Christ.  What an amazing job I have and what an amazing group of people I have to work with.  For 5 years my life has been anything but normal.  But New Life not only helped me through it but they stood by me when, honestly, others have thrown me away as damaged goods.  I am grateful for this amazing opportunity and these great people. GOD HAS PROVIDED.

God’s provision ultimately goes back to His faithfulness.  He is so faithful, even when we are not.  And he will always be faithful.  In fact, this is one of my favorite Bible verses:

Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

So, there you have it.  This is what I am thankful for today.  I hope and pray you all have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family.

What are you thankful for?  Share below or on social media using #sidekickthanksgiving as a way to share your thoughts.

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