Thankfulness

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Of course everyone back home has just finished celebrating Thanksgiving.  I’m sure your stomachs are full from the amount of food you ingested and your hearts are light because of the praise and acknowledgement you have given to the Lord for the things He has blessed you with.

Although I am not in America, I still had the opportunity to celebrate the wonderfully cherished holiday with my fellow Americans here in Ethiopia.  In fact, I had three separate occasions to fill my stomach!  I definitely was not disappointed in the food or the company.  It was great!

Being in the spirit of thanksgiving was rejuvenating, and honestly I am thankful for the time to reflect on the things I am thankful for and the acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness over this past year.  I even had the opportunity to strategically teach the best part of Thanksgiving in my class.   Grade one was in charge of the prayer time in chapel last Friday.  This entails coming up with some creative prayer element for my students to lead/participate in.  I thought and thought about what we could do, and then it hit me!  Let the students draw and write a prayer to God about something they can thank Him for; a Thank you God for….prayer. 

Before we started the project, I had the students go around the room and share the things they are thankful for.  The responses were humorous, wonderful, and honest.  Among the responses were: thank you God for my house, my friends, my family, my school, my baby (baby sister), my cat, my hair (cute), and my all-time favorite ‘that Miss Cawood is not an only child!’  Yes, this was one of my student’s prayers, and she drew a wonderful picture of me and my siblings.

However, the best response was ‘that Jesus died for my sins.”  I did not even have to promote that one.  One of my 6 year old students came up with that on his own.  After this student said that, of course many of them felt compelled to draw or at least write that in the caption of their picture.  When my students got up to share in chapel, I had a handful of students share their beautiful pictures and wonderful prayers with their peers; they also shared the gospel!

My students got it right!  The most precious gift we have to be grateful/thankful for is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  We would be lost and unable to enjoy the many other things we have to be thankful for without this gift.  But then God also gives us the gift of choosing.  We have the choice to accept His gift or reject it.  Family and friends, I so hope you choose the former!  But not only choose His gift of salvation, but also draw from the benefits of His gift this side of Heaven; His riches, His faithfulness, and His peace.

I’m thankful for so many things; I would have to be callous not to acknowledge how lucky I am when I look around my surroundings here in Ethiopia.  There is poverty, sickness, and despair all around me.  I am grateful for the provisional blessings God has given me: my cozy apartment with a nice warm bed, my wonderful bathtub, my closet full of clothing, the food in my refrigerator, the money in my bank account, etc. 

However, I am even more grateful for the intangible gifts and support God has given me.  The love from and for my beautiful family, amazing friends at home that I miss dearly and wonderful new friends I am making here, the peace that I am living in the center of God’s will, and the intimate relationship I get to share with my Heavenly Father!

I’m thankful for Bingham and the unbelievable support I am receiving as a first year teacher.  I’m so lucky to be supported by an encouraging staff, a supportive administration, and parents who truly are committed to their student’s educational success.

Lastly, I am thankful for my class of Grade one students!  I thought I never wanted to teach the lower elementary grades.  However, I am honestly enjoying my time as a first grade teacher.  The students have such a zeal for learning.  They soak in everything that I teach them.  And my class of students in particular, loves to sing, and they have the sweetest angelic voices! 

My list could go on, but instead of exhausting you with my list, I want to encourage you to continue to count your blessings.  Let’s not just make it a Thanksgiving tradition.  For God’s word says to give thanks in all circumstances!