Thankful Thursday

I was talking with a friend who drives truck and delivers sheds this afternoon as I was driving home from my job site in Delaware

he was driving on the turnpike and was in a bit of traffic because of an accident

he made the comment that he is very thankful for his record of safety, considering the many miles he logs

I had to agree with him.

I'm thankful that in spite of my less than cautious approach to driving at times, God has chosen to protect me from serious injury or causing someone else harm

I'm grateful that He is a shield about me

that doesn't mean that nothing that I view as unpleasant will ever happen to me

but it does mean that He will walk through all of life's circumstances with me

and for that I am extremely thankful

I'm thankful for the promise of His presence

I'm thankful for the direction He provides

just today, as I was working, I made a miscalculation that would have thrown off the placement of a row of cabinets I was installing.  But God interrupted me and showed me I needed to adjust my measurement.  

I'm thankful He is my Immanuel

working alone gives me opportunity to commune with Him throughout the day

I'm thankful He is a God who communicates and engages with me

I'm thankful He gives me a song and turns my heart toward praise

I'm thankful He has chosen me to be His son, adopting me into His family

I'm thankful He holds me in His hand, a place of security, and nothing is able to rip me from His grasp

the sunset this evening was gorgeous

I'm thankful God is an artist and shares His talent with me in the pictures He paints throughout His creation

I'm thankful for time with my wife this evening

those moments have been less frequent recently because of he responsibilities as a caregiver for her mom

so I'm especially thankful when we are able to find some time to catch up and communicate

and I love when she asks me to pray with her or play the piano for her

I'm thankful for opportunities to serve her, since she spends so much of her time serving others

James reminds us that every perfect gift is from above--she's one of my perfect gifts from my heavenly Father and I can't thank Him enough for her!

I'm thankful God continues to pour out His grace in my life

I'm thankful His mercies are new every morning

speaking of which, I need to wrap this up so I can enjoy some sleep before morning gets here