Remembered Thanks

November is the month of Thanksgiving. (Yes, it’s almost here AGAIN!) On Facebook many of my friends are writing daily posts about the things they are thankful for. 

It goes without saying that most of us have things we can be thankful for each and every day. We shouldn’t need the month of November to remind us to give thanks. With the busyness of life though, it’s easy to forget to show our gratitude to the Lord.

Last month my church hosted the Vineyard National Conference for pastors from all around the globe. I watched a lot of the sessions online and am still ruminating on some things that really impacted me. One thing in particular, Jay Pathak, the Vineyard USA National Director-Elect talked about stone altars being a reminder of what great things God has done. He shared the story of Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan River from Joshua, Chapter 4.

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[c when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. Joshua 4:21-23 (NLT)

The intention of building a stone altar was for the purpose of remembering this great thing God has done. The stones were a reminder that God is capable of doing great things again. God does not want his people to forget that he is all powerful.

Pastor Jay’s sermon on stone altars was so profound, that I dug out my hot glue gun and rummaged through a vase I have that is filled with polished decorative stones. I chose 12 of the prettiest stones I could find and fashioned them in the shape of stacked triangle. My stone masterpiece is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I wanted to make something that I could carry around with me as a constant reminder of God’s power in my life.

God has done so much for me throughout my life. Sadly, I don’t always remember to thank him for every single thing he does, but he is ever-faithful with continual daily blessings. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a fresh bar of soap and a hot shower. Other times it’s something huge like a miraculous answer to an impossible situation. As much as I appreciate all of the huge things God has done in my life, I never want to become so bored with my relationship with Christ that I fail to remember the many little things he has done.

Jesus is Lord of all … past – present – and future. That is praiseworthy and something to be thankful for every single day.

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy K.

Author: Kathy Kurlin

I am a wife, mother, grandmother and published author of three books. My true passion is to share the Gospel through the written word. I may not be a Pulitzer Prize winning author, but God tells us to be faithful with "little things," ... so at my Lord's pleasure ... I use my "little writing gift" to write for Him.

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