Thank You

Since this is the month of thanksgiving, let me take a moment to say thank you.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has stuck by me through everything I've been through, not just currently but really my entire life. Thank you to the ones who lift me up when I fall, the ones who send a card just to let me know they are thinking about me, the ones who don't run when it seems so easy to do. Thank you for your grace, your support, your helpfulness, your love. Thank you.

But I also want to say thank you to some others. Thank you to all the people who let me down. Thank you to the ones who ridiculed me, attacked me, criticized me and put me down. Thank you to the ones who didn't believe in me or support me. Thank you to the ones who hurt me, walked all over me and kicked me when I was already down. Thank you to the ones who walked away when it was so easy to do so. You are the ones who allowed me to grow closer to God. You are the ones who helped make me stronger. You are the ones who helped shape me more and more into the person God created me to be. You are the ones who made room in my life for so much more. You are the ones who made me realize all those attacks weren't even about me but about you. You are the ones who exposed me to all the evil in the world and showed me how much I need God in order to overcome that evil. You were the stepping stones to my brighter future. Thank you.

There will always be pain, suffering, sickness, wrong-doing, evil. We live in a fallen world. Will you allow that to bury you beneath it? Or will you let it drop to the ground where it belongs, and then step on up and over to overcome? Will you try to do it on your own and fail? Or will you give it to God and allow Him to pick up the pieces to succeed? Will you look at all those times as negative experiences? Or will you look at them as positive ones, ones you are thankful for, ones that shaped you? Will you allow those things to consume you and defeat you? Or will you allow them in as growth and experience while becoming stronger?

You have choices. The biggest choice you have is do you accept Jesus or don't you? Jesus suffered and died on the cross, nailing our sins right there with him. We have the opportunity to be forgiven for all that wrong doing we have done. We have the opportunity of a relationship even better than with our closest loved one. We have the opportunity of an eternity in Heaven greater than our minds can even imagine. It's God's free gift to us, but we have to first accept it. Do you accept it?

Thank You God for that free gift You have given us of salvation. Thank You for Your grace, Your mercy and Your love. Lord, thank You for blessing us so much more than we will ever deserve. Lord, I pray right now that anyone who is hesitant on coming to You loses that fear, that You break down that wall for them, break down their heart and restore them. Lord, I pray for the sick, that they may be healed. I pray for the lonely, that they find comfort in You. I pray for those seeking jobs, that they may find their path clearly and quickly and that You will provide for them. Lord, I pray that You change the hearts in this evil world we live in, and that all may run to You. We don't know how many days we have, we don't know what those days will encounter, but in knowing You we can know we are free, we are loved and we have a home with You. Thank You Lord, for allowing me to be transparent with the world and not fear what others will do or say to me because of it. Thank you for my life and You being my strength in it. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.