Turkey, Stuffing, Family, and Jesus
As I settled into the festivities that come with Thanksgiving, I stopped to try to take it all in. I was surrounded by a loving family and caring friends, amazing food, joy, laughter, and songs. I realized that I had so many things to be thankful for this year. I have the privilege of being a student at a wonderful university, I have fostered friendships that will last a lifetime, I am blessed with an incredible roommate, and I get to sing with an amazing a cappella group. These are just a few of the things that bring a smile to my face on a daily basis. However, this semester I had fallen time and time again into the trap of the sophomore slump, and I felt so much anxiety and stress that I began to feel numb. When I analyzed my life and the blessings that I was surrounded with, I simply felt nothing when I should have been filled with joy and peace. Then something hit me when I read the following verse:
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving... The poor will see and be glad - you who seek God, may your hearts live! (Psalm 69:30,32 NIV)
The source of all my joy, peace, and blessings is God. Even though this semester has brought a lot of hardship both emotionally and academically, I realized that the greatest gift I could ever receive is salvation, which only God can give. Regardless of the current circumstances in my life, whether they be good or bad, nothing will ever be able to take my salvation away from me and that is reason enough to be thankful and give praise every day.
So on this Thanksgiving day in particular, I dwelt on the importance of giving thanks to my Father in heaven. His unconditional love and presence will always be enough to take my anxiety from me and replace it with His peace that surpasses all understanding, so that I can be reminded to look up to the skies and REJOICE! And it fills my heart with joy to be able to praise God’s name in song, to glorify him with thanksgiving with Something Borrowed Something Blue, and to spread the good news of the Gospel by sharing our music with the world, so that others too can be thankful for the presence of God in their everyday lives.
