Thankful Thursday...Take Nothing For Granted

*Check the bottom of the post for link up info!!!!

It's easy to be thankful when our week has gone great. I have absolutely no trouble writing this post when, say, 

1. I had amazing conversations with some good friends this week; or

2. Myka and Danica have gotten along really well and have been super cute; or

3. I got a "new to me" stove because the glass on my old one broke and it was unsafe to use anymore.

But what if I didn't get new things? What if I didn't have time  to chat with friends because I had to work all day just to keep my family fed or to give them clean water? Is there still things to be thankful for then? 

Source: kacasaurous.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

So often we base our belief in God and our faith in Him on what we think he should do for us. "I would believe in God if he stopped me from being sick", or "If God really loved me he would bring me some real friends."

The thing we forget though is that He has already done EVERYTHING for us. Everything. He gave up his life so that we don't have to die for our sinful nature. He provided everything we need on this beautiful Earth He created for us! He offers grace, salvation, and everlasting life if we just accept Him and receive the gift.

I truly believe two things: 1. Satan comes to STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY. He is not nearly as powerful as God, but he is a master deceiver and through his lies, leads us to believe that we need to accept his poverty, his disease and his fear. And we do accept it...then blame God.
2. It breaks God's heart to see his children starving, living in awful conditions, and dying before they should. The children starving in Africa are not God's fault, it is ours. The Earth has more than enough resources to take care of each of the billions of people on it. It is us who hoards food, water and money. It is us who choose to spend trillions of dollars killing each other for "peace" instead of feeding our children. It is us who rips babies from their mother's womb, and all of the sins that surround that.

Wow. That got much deeper than I had planned, and I'm sorry if it came across as tactless...I'm not always great with words. This week, I will choose to be thankful for the little things that I often overlook, things that not everyone in the world have, but they could  have if we put God's love into action instead of buying into Satan's lies.

4. I'm thankful that we have clean water to drink...and as much of it as we need.
5. I'm thankful that I have machines to help me with laundry
6. I'm thankful that I can fill my children's bellies every day
7. I'm thankful that I have the water available to keep my children and my home clean and free of the diseases that come along with not being able to do that.
8. I'm thankful that I can openly praise God for what he has done for us without people taking me from my home and putting me in jail, or killing me for it.
9. I'm thankful for a home to live in
10. I'm thankful that we can keep our children warm and safe in that home
11. I'm thankful that we have shoes for our feet, and boots, and any other type of footwear we need, right at our disposal.
12. I'm thankful that my husband is capable of working to support our family, and that there is work available for him to do.
13. I'm thankful that Daniel can be home with us almost every night.
14. I'm thankful that I can have my babies in a clean, safe environment.
15. I'm thankful to live on land that will grow plentiful crops.
16. I'm thankful that my parents are alive and that they love me.
17. I'm thankful that I am in good health and have full use of my body to be able to take care of my family.
18. I'm thankful that God forgives my many, many shortcomings and gives me more chances than I deserve.
19. I'm thankful for a vehicle to be able to take us to where we need to be.
20. I'm thankful that my girls can wake up each morning and go to school to learn. As a plus, it's a great school, and really close to our home!

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What are YOU thankful for this week?

I'm adding a link up tool to the bottom of this post. If you write a Thankful Thursday post on your blog, I would love if you shared it here so more people can read it! Thanks for being thankful with me this week!