Consecrated : 10,000 Reasons

I don't know how many of you have heard the song by Matt Redman, "10,000 Reasons", but it's a great song; very worth listening to. Several weeks ago at Bible Study, we decided to see just how many reasons we had to be thankful in our own lives. None of us reached ten thousand, but we collected quite a few! Our friends Joy and Esther had been gone to Japan for five weeks, and we couldn't wait to see what things they would have on their lists. They certainly had some interesting points to contribute!

I am thankful for the Shepardsville
Team, as well as our weekly Bible
Studies; I have been blessed time and
time again!

Something I have found in my life personally is that when I intentionally choose to be thankful for even one thing each day -regardless of how small or large that thing may be- being thankful becomes less of an effort, and more of a treasure hunt. Suddenly, I find myself thankful for things I had never even thought to be thankful for. There are so many things I take for granted. Take lightning bugs, for example. They light up our world, quite literally! I couldn't help but think one evening that it's almost like God created a fireworks show just for us; just looking at a whole field blinking in the soft, summer-evening breeze is testament to how deeply involved God is in every detail of our lives. They make me thankful, not just for the beauty they bring, but also because they remind me that God cares about His creation enough to take care of each aspect of my life. Like Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34, we don't have to worry about anything. He tells us to look to the birds of the air, how they don't sow or reap or store away in barns, but our Heavenly Father feeds them. He also tells us to look at the lilies of the field, how they grow; they don't labor or spin, but they are clothed so beautifully. If God takes such care of His creation, how much more will He care for me?

I am thankful for life-long
friends :)

There were many, many other things mentioned too, such as a tall glass of water, eye doctors, music, blueberries, hugs, grass, and Godly friendships, to name a few. But stop and think about it: Where would we be without these things? What would life be like if these things were suddenly stripped away from us? Or what if God allows us to go through a season of life in which everything seems to be going wrong: Would we still find things to be thankful for?

Ephesians 5:19-20 says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Emphasis mine). What are you thankful for today?

I am thankful for HSMA!

Shaving-cream fight, swimming in
the creek, and piling as many people
on the quad as humanly possible;
thankful to have had a FANTASTIC
Independence Day!