Thanking Him in Every Season

It is Thankful Thursday again! We are almost halfway through the month of November.  In the Caribbean, where I live, we don't have the changing of the seasons to signal the passage of time. We have two seasons, half the year its rainy, the other half its dry.   I have envied you the beautiful seasons and the opportunity to  change and grow with them... your clothing, your decorations, your very moods. We also don't celebrate Thanksgiving.. this is probably the only American holiday I would adopt if I could ;-)

God calls me to be thankful in my own station of  life, season of life, place that I live.  I may not have a big celebration like you do, but I can celebrate every day in my heart.. which is how I guess it ought to be. I can thank Him when it's sunny because I can save electricity by not using my dryer. Its such a wonderful thing to see a line of clothes flapping in the breeze and drying in the sunshine. Gathering them off the line.. inhaling that one of a kind smell of clean air and sunshine.

I know that when I see the beautiful pouii tree blossoming in all its glory it is a sign that the dry season is upon us.

I can enjoy the hot weather with my family at a beach and marvel at how beautifully God creates those magnificent crests of jewel toned waves. A glorious sunset on the beach is nothing to thumb your nose at either!  I can be thankful for the fruits that are available in the dry season and be thankful that I can have water when so many don't in this season.

In the rainy season I can be in awe of the display of God's power in the thunderstorms that we get. My children happen to love this type of weather...though it is best appreciated indoors, in my opinion. Its not unusual to have flash flooding, landslides, trees falling in some parts of my country. This is hurricane season... from June to January. Yet, there IS something about standing at the window and watching powerful flashes of lightning, hearing and feeling thunder rock the house and watching torrential sheets of rain soaking the garden. There is nothing like that thunderous roar of heavy rain on our roof... it drowns out every other sound... its like the voice of God Himself. When its like that it gets very dark and we snuggle up all cosy and warm and  there's  gratitude that we can have shelter in the face of the inclement weather. We even do goofy things like play in the rain! (In my day the purpose was to actually get wet!) We'd stand right where the guttering ended at the edge of the roof and get a bath like no other!

In any season.. in all seasons.. even the varying seasons of life, we must be thankful to God. He provides, he protects, he comforts, he empowers. Even in the midst of a storm, we can see His hand of protection and provision. In the midst of a perplexing trial, we can receive His counsel and be strengthened and guided. In the midst of the fires that test us.. He is empowering us, even as He purifies us.

I got a really powerful reminder when I visited a blogger friend's place this week. You can read it here if you like. It hit me like a ton of bricks.. how many times did I not even ask... I longed for something.. it was a thought, a wish, a sigh.. and God gave it to me anyway... without my even asking!  Do I give God all the gratitude He deserves? How many things does He do behind the scenes every day of my life that go by without acknowledgement or thanks? Am I like one of the lepers who were cured but never came back? Do I take my God for granted?

Oh, please NEVER, NEVER let me forget or take for granted the favours the Lord grants daily! As Craig so aptly named his post LOVE SAYS THANK YOU 1000 TIMES... Let our hearts say thank you forever, continuously, into eternity... just as the work that Jesus accomplished on that cross continues into eternity.

As America celebrates Thanksgiving this month... let the whole world, all God's people celebrate continuous thanksgiving in our hearts. For indeed He is worthy to be praised, thanked and adored... into all eternity!


Thanking Him with my friends: