Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks today!

I woke up at 6:00 this morning to hear my mother laughing as she and my father tried to put all of the biggest turkey I've ever seen inside the oven. Ever since then, I've been tortured with the amazing smell of everything that is cooking. We have two turkeys - 30 pounds, I think! Maybe more - potatoes, gravy, pies, and all of that good stuff - not to mention all that will be coming with my family.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, hands down. While Christmas probably comes second, Thanksgiving just wins. Not only is it a holiday where you actually have an excuse to drop everything you're doing (goodbye, Psychology), eat until you feel ready to explode, and watch football all day, but Thanksgiving is a holiday where you don't have to worry about the stress of buying gifts or hoping that the person likes what you got them. (That comes the next day, but that's a different matter entirely.) To me, it's a holiday where family and friends can gather and just enjoy each other's company, relax, and give thanks for all the many blessings that they have.
Times are tough now -unemployment rates are high, the economy seems to stay at rock bottom, and jobs are hard to come by. For many people, life is tough. However, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate not the hard things, but everything that you have been blessed with - no matter how small. Did you take a shower today? There's a blessing. Are you going to go to a family member's home and spend time with them? There's another. You have clothes to wear, food to eat, water to drink, and a house to live in - all blessings that, unfortunately, we sometimes overlook.
When we look through the Bible for an example of people giving thanks in times of trouble, there are plenty of examples! King David loved to praise God in both the good times and the bad. Daniel was in a den of lions, but still he praised God and gave thanks. When I searched for a verse with the key word being "Thanksgiving" on biblegateway.com, I had 10 results in a matter of seconds, with several more to find and choose. In Psalm 107:1, it says this:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever."

In Psalm 69:30, we read:

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving."

And, lastly, in Psalm 95:2 it says:

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."

See? All through the Bible there are references saying that we, as God's children, need to give thanks for all of the amazing blessings that He has given us. So this is your NR challenge for today: I challenge you to thank God for everything you can think of, and everything that you can't. From a house, to a computer to read this on, to the eyes that He gave you so you CAN read this. Give thanks.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.

Are you in?

-Kimber.