Friday, November 19, 2010

Devotional Carnival - Gratitude

Last week I heard a woman say Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday.  Thanksgiving, really? How could Thanksgiving possibly out-trump Christmas? I wondered.  She explained, "I like to cook and to gather the people I love around my table. The house smells good.  Everyone is relaxed and happy.  And I know that everything will fit, nothing will have to be wrapped, taken back, or exchanged for another size."


I was glad she said that - hearing her talk increased my own appreciation for Thanksgiving.  Lessening my tendency to make it a pit-stop on the way to December 25th.  But I noticed she said nothing about the joy that comes when you take time to count your blessings, realize where you've been fortunate this year, and thank God for it all. That's what makes this carb-loading holiday so sweet to me.

It awakens me to God's grace.  His goodness.  His gifts.

Oftentimes, hearing other people talk about what they are grateful for helps me to see my blessings and find my gratitude. So I've been looking forward to this month's devotional carnival all month. The topic is, you guessed it, GRATITUDE.  I even pushed the carnival back a week so we could run it right up to Thanksgiving Day.

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
 ~ Psalm 105:1

And that's precisely what I invite you to do. Write a post sharing your thankful thoughts, your gifted tidbits, your cornucopia of blessings, or your feelings about God and His greatness. And post your link here. Share with us in this season of gratitude what you are experiencing of God's loving-kindness, and in the process, we'll lift each other's spirits along with the name of God.



And let me just say, for the record, I am thankful for you.  For every one of you who take the time to stop by here.  To read. To ponder. To comment. To encourage. To participate. Or just to silently "amen" something said. You enrich my world.  Blessings to you!

20 comments:

  1. I am grateful for you, Rachel, and all the other Proverbs 31 bloggers and readers!

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  2. Thank you, Allison. It's great to be a part of this P31 community of terrific women - like yourself.

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  3. I've been using the whole month to count my blessings...my own little Thankfulness Project.

    It has made my days less stressful (although certainly not stress-free), because gratitude and my blessings are at the forefront of my mind.

    God is good.

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  4. So much to be thankful for and I, too, am grateful for all you wonderful women over at Proverbs 31 Ministries! You've blessed me more than you'll ever know. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

    Sweet Blessings,
    Pam

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  5. I so enjoy reading your posts. I will have to give this some thought as you know I'm not a writer but I do have a lot to be thankful for. The main one is that through it all I'm still going at 70 years old, maybe not as much as I use to but I still enjoy God's blessings.

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  6. I have looked forward to these devotion carnivals each month. Thankful for all of you and your words for Christ! I'm excited to read the other posts soon!

    Rachel, thank you again for hosting this.

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  7. Thank you Rachel for hosting the blog carnival once again, it has been fun. Happy Thanksgiving and blessings to everyone.

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  8. I, too, am thankful for all of the women out there who pour their hearts out on their blogs, encouraging, inspiring and just being real. What a ministry to be able to share our lives with one another and with those who've yet to meet Jesus as Savior. Thank you, Rachel, for your faithfulness in writing what God places on your heart. You are all a blessing! Happy Thanksgiving ladies!

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  9. I am extremely thankful this year. It's the first anniversary of my first meeting with God. What an awesome year it has been. I love you guys at Proverb 31. You have been my inspiration. This year I am thankful for the Lord and all that he has blessed me with. My wonderful husband, my 10 children, and my 5 1/2 grandchildren. I also love my clients and all the joy that they bring to me.

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  10. I love this season of being thankful. I can't wait to read around and be reminded of even more gratitudes in life.

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  11. Than you, Rachel, for hosting this! I will probably write a second post on being grateful for second chances...but I had to write what was on my heart tonight. I'm usually a lot warmer and fuzzier, lol. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  12. I am thankful for blogs. What a blessing to read the hearts of others and by so doing, be drawn closer to the heart of God!

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  13. I've been encouraged to read through these! Thank you for reminder to be thankful--Thanksgiving is getting glossed over more and more, but it is such worship to give thanks to God!

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  14. I left my link as well. Thank you for doing this, and for helping to point the way for others.

    May God bless each of you this Thanksgiving, just as He has used you to bless others.

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  15. I am grateful for P31 ministries, writers and bloggers. This is a great site. I am thankful that God has given me the gift of today. It's a wonderful gift that he gave to me his precious daughter and I am thankful. All the other blessings that I will receive today I am grateful for them.

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  16. Thanking HIM for so many things like friendships, His faithfulness, His provision and peace. The list could go on and on. Thanks for hosting the carnival!

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  17. After writing today, I am humbled by how many things I don't thank God for...this was a wonderful way to quiet myself and "tune my heart". Thank you, Rachel.

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  18. Great topic. We have so much to be grateful for!

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  19. I am so thankful for some extra time with my husband. He doesn't get much time off work and my children and I are grateful to spend a few days enjoying him home! I'm also grateful for Christian women who love the Lord and encourage others through their writing and ministry. Thanks for your posts today. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  20. I'm thankful for the prayer that you shared with everyone during the daily encouragement for today..."Dear Lord, today I want to say thank You for my life. Thank You for the chance to feel sunshine, to taste fruit, to swim in water and to watch lightening. Thank You for my home and family, my church and friends. Thank You for the chance to know and serve You, now and eternally. In Jesus' Name, Amen." That was a beautiful prayer, and most definitely humbling words I needed to hear. I believe I will be starting my 'gratitude journal' this evening. Thanks for sharing!

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