GIVING THANKS!

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV).

It’s Thanksgiving morning and I am feeling very, very thankful. I wanted to share my thanks to the Lord so I’ve taken the last article, “The Ambush,” and put it in the archives for easy access. It is the first one listed and if you haven’t read it already, you really need to.

I have so much to be thankful for! One year ago yesterday, Carol and I were in Belgium where I had surgery on both hips because of extreme arthritis. The arthritis was slowly rendering me immobile. In September of last year an orthopedic specialist here told me that “in less than two years you will be in a wheelchair.” There were many days last year that I could not get out of the house because of the pain and discomfort.

After the doctor kind of verbally slapped some sense into me and I got my pride out of the way, I apologized in prayer to the Lord for my attitude and in person to my family for what I had put them through. I didn’t know exactly what to do but my repenting opened the floodgate of God’s wisdom and blessing and two months later on November 21, 2006, I had hip resurfacing surgery in Belgium.

I am not going to go into all that happened to get us to Belgium. There were amazing answers to prayer and God gave us favor all over the place. “The blessing of the Lord maketh one rich and he addeth no sorrow” (Proverbs 10:22). The final phrase in this verse means that blessing comes because of God’s grace not because of your toil.

I began walking, without pain, two days after the surgery and on the fourth day I started climbing stairs without pain. It was an amazing moment for me, to be walking without pain for the first time in about five years.

It is now a year later and thanks be to God, I have not had any pain in my hips or my knees for a year. If I weren’t a conservative Presbyterian, I would be up and dancing.

Not only am I deeply thankful to God for being free of the arthritis pain but there are so many other things I am thankful for—my wife, my children, my grandchildren, my family, my friends, living in this great country, knowing that God loves me beyond my capacity to understand. What more can I say? I AM THANKFUL!

Thanksgiving Day is, to a minor degree, about family, friends, fellowship, food and football but more importantly, Thanksgiving is about “giving thanks.”

On Tuesday morning I was doing some errands and went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. As I came out of the store I noticed that the Salvation Army Christmas kettle was there and something clicked in my spirit. I decided that this year I will not pass one of the kettles without putting something in. A part of being thankful is being willing to share.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!