Giving Thanks

There sure is a lot to give thanks for this year. But there always is.

First of all, our son! We are so thankful for little Asher Quinn. He has been such a blessing to our lives. Having Asher has really taught us about God's love. To know that God gave his only son, Jesus, to die for our sins even though we don't deserve it. When we look at Asher, we see God's love so much more clearly. It's amazing how having a child can expand that perspective and really make it more personal.

Second, I'm thankful for such a wonderful marriage. Jonathan has been so good to me and has made our marriage a priority, even in his ministry at church. We believe that having a healthy marriage can be a huge testimony of Christ's love to the church. Some of our students really need to see what a marriage is about and how that demonstrates Christ's sacrificial love for us. One thing Jonathan has been good at is setting Thursday nights as date night. It has been such a blessing to both of us. When I first had Asher, I thought that being away from him for a night would be so hard, but now I look forward to Thursday nights. It's great having time with Jonathan all to myself. I'm thankful for Jonathan's patience, love, understanding, and helpful hand and attitude. He's a great husband.

Third, I'm thankful for our families. We have such loving and supportive families. God has truly enriched our lives with believing families that enjoy our company and want to spend time with us. Family is so important to us and we are thankful for all the extended family members as well as our moms and dads and brothers and sisters. And who can forget the cousins. We can't give thanks to God enough for our families.

And I'm thankful for God's love. I'm thankful for His forgiveness and His grace. I'm thankful for Jesus and His teaching. I'm thankful that we can talk to God and give Him praise. I'm thankful for the plan He has for me and for our family. We thank God for guiding our lives and for allowing us to do His good work. We praise Jesus for his sacrifice and pray that we can only sacrifice ourselves to the Lord's will.

And then there's all the daily blessings that I tend to take for granted: trees with shade, a cool breeze, snow flakes, warm sunshine on my face, a nice home, furniture, daily food, clouds, the smell of fresh-cut grass, Asher's smile, Jonathan's laugh, cooking, heat in our car, two cars that run, a telephone, the internet, Iced Chai Tea Latte from Panera Bread, slippers, sweat-pants, toothpaste, running water, music (and lots of it), a microwave, interstate highways, vacations, ministry, our students, popcorn, friends, volunteers, babysitters, Glade Plug-Ins, milk, warm blankets and a soft bed, car seats, doctors and their offices, medicine, church and pastors, free activities, haircuts, flowers, books, clothes and shoes, socks, games, hot chocolate, surprise visitors, new babies, storage space, freedom and protection... There are so many more things to be thankful for.

What are you thankful for?