Thankful Thursdays - Week 2

So, here we are at week two of Thankful Thursdays.  Don't you love how this time of year we spend more time thanking God for what he's given us?  Each year I wonder why we don't do it all year long.  I was reminded of this post from the archives - Why Complain?  It's a good reminder to me that this is something I need to focus on all year long, but I'm also thankful for all of the different holidays we celebrate that spur our memory toward attributes of God and point us to Christ in many different ways.

That being said, here are 5 things I'm thankful for this week:

1.  God's faithfulness.  Sunday morning I woke up thinking about how amazing it is that I serve a God who is always faithful, and just how thankful I am that I can rest in Him and hope in Him, knowing that He will keep His promises to me.  "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

2.  I'm thankful for my Mom.  She's my best friend, and has loved me even when I've been unlovable. She is my constant sounding board, always ready to listen and provide godly feedback.  She tells me the truth even when I don't want to hear it.  She laughs at my stupid jokes and puns.  She's the best shopping partner.  She is such a great example of a woman who fears the Lord. Her selflessness is evident in so many ways.  I'm so thankful that she's my mom!

3.  I'm thankful for my knees, yes you read that right, knees.  Some of you probably don't know this, but I have some nasty cartilage damage (aka arthritis) in both knees as a result of my years of figure skating.  Sometimes I refer to them as grandma knees, because it's like I have 80 year old knees on my 27 year old body.  Honestly, I get frustrated with it sometimes, and have a sinful attitude about them.  But I'm thankful for my bad knees because it reminds me of my utter dependence on Christ, and that it's a temporary trial.  If it weren't for my good and God's glory, he wouldn't allow it in my life, so instead of complaining when it's painful or when it keeps me from doing activities I'd like to do, I want to thank Him for grandma knees because they are making me more like Christ.

4.  I'm thankful for podcasts and live streaming.  Last Friday I watched the Multiply conference online, and a lot of times when I go to bed I'll turn on a sermon podcast.  The availability of these resources is such a blessing to me, and one that I often take for granted.

5.  I'm thankful for warm, waterproof shoes.  My Merrell's and Sorel's are some of the ugliest shoes I own (and I realized when I went home to MO that it actually probably isn't socially acceptable to wear them anywhere but in Jackson),  But man, on wet, rainy/snowy days like this one, I'm so thankful to have dry feet!  I think of how so many people in the world don't have any shoes at all, and am reminded just how blessed I am.