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As I was thinking of something to write at the beginning of the new year, I was looking through my notebook and I came across a letter that I had written back in 2009 for my ministry that I never sent out. I read over it and it suited what I wanted to have printed for the new year.
Being thankful means more than just saying it. It requires a lot of consideration, hours of lost sleep and meditation that cannot be measured.
Being thankful requires some soul-searching. It will cause one to look back and wonder if he or she was compassionate enough when their neighbor was or is in need. It also means one will wonder, "was I thankful enough to continue in prayer after my individual needs were met?" There is a lot to think about when you are truly thankful, for what life has meant to you in good times as well as in bad times.
Sometimes people only think about the good times when it comes to being thankful.
There isn't too much one learns when times are good, unless he or she spends much time in prayer. Many omit the latter and lose out on the real blessing that God has to give those who really seek him.
Many people seem to forget that God loves to be near you when you or I are going through something that seems impossible for us. Trust increases one's belief. It comes from being thankful. In my younger years, it wasn't so easy to believe, but as time takes its toll and we become more learned about life and its difficult times, we learn. We put it off as long as we can, and sometimes some people put it off too long.
I never will forget the song I used to hear as a child growing up: "Don't let it be said too late, to enter at the gold gate."
When one makes a choice to receive the Lord, it can be the best choice that one could ever make. I find myself thanking him every chance I get. I often think of the times when I turned down the chance of going the other way as a young boy. Being young can lead a person to make bad choices, some that one may not live long enough to outlive.
Jesse Jenkins
Gainesville