Day 23: WNFIN Challenge

Write Non Fiction In November : #WNFIN Day 23

Time for thanksgiving: It is an American tradition that we don't have here, but all Thursdays have Eucharistic overtones remembering the Last Supper, and Eucharist means thanksgiving.

Normally we are reasonably good at thanking God for the stuff that we like in our lives, so I might pick up the 'Prison to Praise' challenge and have a go at thanksgiving for all the stuff that we wish wasn't there.

Thank You God for the traffic snarls on the roads that help us learn patience, and during which while we wait we sometimes use for prayer.

Thank You God for the people who hold views diametrically opposed to ours, they help us examine situations from another perspective and help us make better decisions.

Thank You God for the times we feel our frailty and our mortality, they give us a desire for the lasting joys of heaven.

Thank You God for the times the plans for our day went awry, they remind us that the majority of things are beyond our control and that we should deepen our trust in You.

Thank You God for the times unkind words have been said to us or about us, they give us opportunities to learn how to forgive.

Thank You God for all of our unanswered prayers, both the ones that will never be answered and the ones that have yet to be answered, they teach us that You know what is best for our long term benefit and that You know the perfect time to deliver it. So often that's the only way our faith and trust grows.

Thank You God for the times we experience sickness and the inability to do the things that were once easy for us. You often use those times to wean us away from things that are bad for us and give us a palette for far more wholesome things.

Thank You God for the times we experience loss and grief. If You knew of a better way to help us let go of the things we cling to so that You could give us something far better, You would use it.

Thank You God for the toughest times in our lives, because so often they teach us compassion and empathy and become sources of support and blessing for others.

Thank You God for the people who annoy us the most and who we would love to exclude for the sake of peace and harmony, they are Your invitations to grow in love, patience and forgiveness.

Thank You God for the times we have felt betrayed and humiliated, otherwise we'd never understand how bad these parts of the sufferings of Jesus actually were.

Thank You God for the regrets and opportunities we have missed in our lives, they spur us on to do better and to be better next time.
Thank You God for the times of testing and trial that You send us, because You want us to be victorious so that You can reward us.

Thank You God for the times that our finances get stretched so thin that we begin to believe and receive Your providence for us.

Thank You God for our times of thirst and hunger, often it is the only way You can get us to start appreciating how wonderful the simple things in life really are.

Thank You God for our times of fatigue and helplessness, often they teach us where our true friends can be found and help us change from being individualistic to becoming community minded.
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For these, and for all the many other things we frequently fail to thank You for, we are truly grateful. Please help us to grow into true gratitude. Amen.