I have a confession to make. Every year, I always donate food and/or give money to the Thanksgiving food drive. However, this year for some reason, I completely got caught up in my own agenda that I didn’t do what I intended to do. You see, every year at my church we have Harvest Sunday, which is when everyone brings can goods and place them on the altar to be blessed before distributing to the needy. Weeks before Harvest Sunday, we are given a list of needed items and were reminded to bring them to church. Well, I completely forgot about Harvest Sunday and walked into church empty handed. I know it’s not the end of the world. But, I don’t like to make a promise and don’t deliver. I hate that! I did redeem myself and found another way to give back to the community.
So, I decided to be a volunteer for the “Feed my Sheep” ministry at the church and help give out the food. When I arrived to the church, I saw a crowd of people waiting to get inside. I didn’t expect to see so many people. I was shown the secret pathway into the kitchen and I was told, “I’m glad you are here to help but I hope you don’t run into a lot of challenges.” Instantly, I raised my eyebrows and thought…”challenges? What challenges can I face when I giving something away for free? People should be grateful?”
As the day progressed, I understood what she meant by facing challenges. I came across people who were down on their luck and angry at life. A few people expressed it while others showed it on their faces. I was responsible for directing people to the prayer team to be prayed for. I saw so many people get their hope restored. Not only were people fed physically but spiritually as well. It was an amazing thing to see.
Now, it got me thinking about how blessed I am. Of course, I don’t have everything I want but I have a lot to be grateful for. So as you prepare for Thanksgiving, I want to encourage you to think about your blessings and what you are grateful for. You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving Day. You can start today by creating a gratitude journal (I have one of these) or do the 30 day gratitude challenge. And to take it a step further, I would like you to give an extended hand to someone who really need it and give back to the community.
So, let me know what you are thankful for this holiday season and what are you doing to give back to the community. I want to hear all about it. And, of course, I want to hear where you are travelling to this Thanksgiving. Give me all the details. Take care for now and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hugs,
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