Thank you Jesus!

   My youngest sister, Faith, and I do Bible lessons together, she is 2, but very intelligent for her age. She has learned about several things but her favorite is "Baby Moses". It's a special time for us to spend together, and especially because she's learning God's word! Faith makes me so proud when she remembers the stories, or brings them up randomly, but words can't express how happy I was to hear her this morning. As she was jumping on her child-sized trampoline with my niece Gemma, she dropped everything to pray. A 2 year old little girl stopped right while playing to thank Jesus. She started giving thanks for her toys and food and family, and anything she thought of. It's astounding to hear her praying, at an early age she truly grasps the concept of thankfulness!

   Earlier this morning I also heard my mom and a friend voxing (a phone app that allows you to send voice messages, like voice texting sort of) each other their blessings journals. Both of these events today got me thinking, giving thanks is very important, and I should improve on it. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" This was not written to Melany Widener in the year 2013, or anyone who may be reading this, but we can still learn from it. We should be thankful, for everything. And since I understand that, there is zero excuse for me to not be actively doing it. I have been blessed with many things, and even if I do appreciate them, I need to be showing that appreciation through thanks. But not only for the good, because God is also in control of the bad, and even simply His control over the bad, is definitely worthy of thanks. "Everything" means everything, and I will try to have a heart of thankfulness about truly everything.

   So I am challenging myself, and anyone who would like to join me, to start a thankfulness journal. These are pretty common around the Thanksgiving holiday season, but being thankful is not November exclusive. So starting today I am going to embark on a daily giving of thanks. I will write it as a page (like my "Books Worth Reading" or "Gospel" pages) rather than a post every day, and I'm doing it on this blog for accountability. I hope to gain a mindset and attitude of gratitude (ok that sounded cheesy :))...and on that note, I shall start now! :)