ThanksHow will you celebrate Thanksgiving this year? Will you be traveling to spend the holiday with family? Or will you be entertaining guests at your house?

I will be cooking a feast, beginning Tuesday, preparing everyone’s favorite dishes for the big meal on Thursday. It is one of my favorite times of the year because I love to cook and have people gathered in our home. We have a tradition of inviting friends who don’t have family close by to join ours for the holiday celebration.

Another of our traditions is to have everyone share what they are thankful for in the past year. It starts with the things you expect: friends, family, health, etc. but then it really gets exciting when people start sharing the ways God has specifically blessed them in the past year.

Psalm 100:4 says,

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” 

That’s really easy to do when everything is going in your favor, but what about when life gets rough? What about when you don’t get the answers you were hoping for after contending for something or someone?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says,

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I have a plaque that hangs in my kitchen window that says,

When the praises go up, the blessings come down.” 

I’ve seen this saying become a reality in my own life. This week, no matter where you gather to celebrate Thanksgiving or who is or isn’t around your table, give thanks. You will be blessed.

Thank you for being a blessing in my life, for supporting me in my writing, speaking and the fight against sex trafficking. You will be one of the many blessings I thank God for this year.

*I will be taking the week off to focus my attention on my friends and family. I hope you get to do the same. I’ll meet you back here on Monday, November 30th. Be blessed and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!