Thanksgiving. . .
Psalm 95:2-5 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. for the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 100:2-5 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Do you give thanks everyday for at least one or two things? Do you find your too hurried and stressed sometimes to acknowledge the good around you? I used to take so much for granted. Now I find more than anything, I am humbled by all the wonderful blessings around, for and with me.
There is so much to be thankful, and trust me I know this has been one of the most difficult years any of us have lived. It has been awkward, tense, stressful, and tearful, lonely, and uncertain. My heart has hurt for the many families who have lost loved ones this year, and had to be separated from them during their illness and hospitalization. As a nurse, that was one of my rewarding times, to be with a patient and the family as the person passed. I knew I was a comfort to all at those times. This pandemic has made that impossible often this year, and I can’t help but wonder if those left behind agonize that they were not with their loved one, and that their family member died alone, and felt alone and abandoned. Such feelings must feel even larger and darker if one does not believe in an afterlife, heaven, and knowing God’s comfort.
Never have we lived in a time when the news can be delivered so immediately. In 1918, during the last pandemic, newspapers and telegrams and word of mouth were the means of passing news forward. Now we are enveloped with constant stress of hearing the numbers, the stats, the deaths, and on and on. Thankfully, I know where the power button is on my devices.
I won’t say I don’t question things in my life, and spurts of worry don’t try to get me upset, but I know I am not in charge, that God has a specific plan, and although I don’t know how each day with start and end, I am good most of the time with His plan. I sometimes have to remind myself I am not in charge, and that whatever comes my way will be okay. I know His promises, even though I don’t know the entire plan. My ability to level easier than I used to, comes about because I know and trust Him and His plan for me. I am not in charge.
I live at the beach, so I get awesome views of God’s creations, be it the sea, the waves gently lapping and enticing, or their anger and dominance and power; or the blessing of dolphins hunting and feeding, or just leaping and seemingly playing; occasionally I get to see a whale swimming about in the winter months. But I frequently enjoy blue skies, birds running about on the beach, always scurrying here and there, pelicans just gliding over the houses, close enough to almost skim their bellies or so it seems, and this year for several weeks I was blessed with the presence of painted buntings—a pair and they had three young, I think, maybe four; it looked like two females and two young males.
I prefer to take stock of the good, the beauty, the gifts, the friends and family, my health, and all the other gifts He has granted me. And most especially, I am blessed He chose me, and I was wise enough to choose Him back. Yes, Lord, I will follow you.
I am writing this a few days before Thanksgiving, and I wonder if 2021 will bring more stress and unrest, fear and apprehension, and illness, and death, or if things will improve. I believe God is calling us to return and repent. He wants us, ALL of us. He wants our hearts, thoughts, and being to be His. And He blesses those who follow. It is not always easy, or always without difficulty, stress, loss or hurt. You don’t get to not have difficulty and hardships just because you love and follow Him. Life and its events are still there to be dealt with, and sometimes they are painful, scary, frustrating, and feel overwhelming. It is not a cake walk just because you love and follow Jesus. But no matter what happens, you have the confidence and surety of the promise that He is always with you, and when your life here ends, you will be in heaven. And that is an awesome, reassuring blessing and confidence to have.
Lord, I praise and thank You for the many and varied blessings You show me each day. I love You so. You continually deliver daily blessings to me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Genesis 1:7-31 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the water which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. so the evening and the morning were the second day. Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called the Seas. And God saw that it was good. The God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the her that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. . . . 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 2:7-10 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
I find I am frequently awed by this world. There is such beauty here. God created a wonderful earth for us to enjoy. Please don’t misunderstand. I know there is violence and cruelty; there is horrific poverty, malnutrition and hardships. There are all sorts of hardships, slavery, pain, torture of many kinds, and thus we have made it not perfect through our sin.
Yet still He created a wonderful land for us to enjoy and be awed by. Each day He blesses with some kind of beauty unless we are amongst those being filled with pain and torture of any kind–physical, mental, spiritual. I am one of the blessed that I am not tortured or in a lot of pain; another blessing I appreciate.
There are gorgeous and majestic mountains standing above lovely and verdant valleys, wonderful soil for farmers to grow their crops and feed their animals and have the life cycle continue. There are, stunning bodies of water full of fish, dolphins, whales, and all manner of seafood. The colors of the waters can be breath-taking from lovely aqua and teals to deep navy, and mysterious
photos courtesy of John Holden, cousin 
Birds call out and sing their songs, while dogs may be barking in happy greeting or fierce warning. Cats are meowing, birds chirping and singing in joyous song. I get to enjoy the sounds of the ocean moving in repeated waves, sometimes angry and loud, sounding dangerous, other times, a simple and easy-going lap on and off shore, gentle back and forth. A cycle
There is SO much to be awed by in this fabulous world He gave us. I am so thankful for the blessings I see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and I can do nothing but repeat my thankfulness and gratefulness. My heart lifts and all I can do is fully praise Him.
Certainly many others are less blessed. And at the end of my praise and thanking, I try to pray for those less fortunate whether it be homeless, illness, persons living under cruelty, hopelessness, depression and so forth. There are many who suffer and have little in the way of hope. It sometimes feels as though one cannot give anything that can help, truly help. But we can. He has asked us to have a servant’s heart and we can serve. That does not mean we alone can change things, but we can help, even if we do not feel our little contribution can help with much.
But we tend to judge things by the big picture, and not making a splinter of a difference in the huge vastness of a problem. But each person who helps makes a difference and thankfully, God sees. We may not foster great social or environmental change, but we can help a few and it does make a difference. It makes a difference if you just point out one of God’s creative miracles–a bird, a fox, a hunting feline, a full moon, a rainbow, a… the list can go on and on.
I hope you consider sharing some of your blessings, whether it is financial, a little time, or just a kind word and a genuine smile, to help.
Thank You that I am in a position where I can be of service. Your blessings have certainly helped me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Genesis 1:1-19 God created all from nothing. He created the waters, the light and dark, the sun, moon and stars, the animals that creep, swim and fly. He created the grasses, the trees, the flowers, the fruit-producing bushes and trees. Genesis 20-26 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply n the earth.” so the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind; cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 7:2,3 “You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and a female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and a female; “also seven each of birds of the air; male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.
Psalm 102:25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands
Have you looked at the night sky lately? We are blessed to be able to see Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars every evening right now. And in the early mornings, Venus is hanging out over the eastern sky. And as of this writing, it is also showing a Blue Moon, the second full moon of October. Maybe you have also been lucky enough to spot a meteor shooting across the night sky as the Orenids meteors have been visible. That is an occurrence that does not happen all that often. A blessing, you might say… well, I do say!
I am so awed by the blessings God has given. It is marvelous to realize the complicated networks that make up the human body, really any animal. How super that the cells all work together in some convoluted manner to sustain the life, nourishment and growth of the creature. Some are simple and microcosmic, while others are complicated mammals. Then there are the multitude of stars, planets, moon and more in the night heavens; while we don’t see those in the day, we are blessed with the fierce and bright warmth of the sun and its bright beauty.
My mind cannot fathom all the blessings I have seen and enjoyed in just my lifetime. I could try to list, but there are so many I would miss. How many times did I enjoy the birds coming to the feeders or playing in the birdbath? How often I have been awed by the hummingbirds which fly great distances, the tiniest of creatures? They fight and guard feeders, squabbling as though they will lose all food, and then evening comes, and suddenly sharing is okay to do. They are the only birds I see coming out in a hurricane, and again, during a hurricane they are not territorial; by some mutual agreement you can see several feeding at the same time. How wonderful is that?!
I’m also thankful for the development of TVs. Now they are so awesome with all the smart technology! Colors are brilliant and there are an abundance of choices of shows. One can choose entertainment, education, complete with living pictures, and take us to various lands; or we can choose adventure, travel, whether real or imagined. If one chooses a travel program, we can be introduced to the various animals and fauna, get an idea of food and culture, beliefs and how one might celebrate holidays for that area. It kind of lets me travel to places on my list that I would love to explore, yet must wait for an opportunity to afford it.
There are worlds open to one if they choose to learn and see that are not always easily attainable for us; budget, family obligations, health, or whatever. But these shows, someone else’s opportunity have blessed me with an experience to peek into this other land. I would not have learned much about any of this without the persons who teach, seek these animals and experiences, and then write the education. How much I would have missed without someone else going to explore and seek, photographing and making the visual real for me and others, then bringing the story, with pictures back for us.
Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg, Germany
The animal kingdom has been opened to me through the work of others who have taught me via television and documentaries. One is able to see the impressive speed of some of the large cats hunting their prey, bringing it back to feed young cubs. It used to break my heart to see the fear and speed of a gazelle running about for its life, and then losing to the large cat; but the death was fast and merciful once the cat reached it. God set up the world for the animal kingdom and life. It allows food for others, and it’s one of the herd killed, not mass murder of gorgeous creatures. Truly there is a ‘circle of life’ as sung by Elton John.
We get to see the ocean floor where all sorts of different sea creatures live; how they adapt to their environments, how they are equipped with protective mannerisms. We get to see tiny creatures all the way up to huge sharks, awesome, sleek and graceful dolphins, and the magnificence of whales.
The beauty, grace and power of dolphins
T
I am awed by the wonderful world God created for us. He wanted to share with us, to gift us, and to have a relationship with us. He created us in His image. God delivered all sorts of beauty to us—more than I can ever list, sunrises, sunsets, dolphins, whales, mountains, fall colors, lakes and streams, waterfalls, sky, and on and on. Gifts. Blessings. He made all for us, because He loves us and wants us to revere and love Him and follow His commandments. With all that He has blessed us with, it is pretty easy for me to be grateful – not always obedient—but I am grateful. I know I am blessed.
He wants us to love and respect Him and be thankful at all times—yes, even when things may not be going smoothly. With all He has blessed us with, that seems more than fair to me. I choose to accept, and I remain thankful for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
1 Corinthians 10:13 God can be trusted to not let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptation. (CEV)
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV)
Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
James 1:12-15 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
I think everyone has issues with temptation. And we are tempted by different things. For some it may be going out to eat, shopping weekly for things you really don’t need, it may be ice cream, alcohol, chocolate, and the list can be endless.
God created each of us each with his or her own desires. Many can refuse the temptations around them. For some they mentally decide to have their temptation once weekly, or once monthly, and the other times the desire raises interest, they can push it away. They are able to stick to their plan to deal with their temptation.
I love sweets—chocolate, certain desserts, cookies and yes, anything with white sugar seems to work! I so admire those who are stronger at resisting temptations then I am. My resistance is low, and I find it difficult to walk away. Yet, how self-centered is that? All about me and the taste and texture in my mouth—FOR A MOMENT, then gone, over, done. And generally, I also have to face the fact that the additional calories will probably be around FOREVER!
I so dislike that I cave so often. Jesus NEVER gave in to temptations, and his period of suffering was almost 6 weeks, 40 days! This is an area I ask the Holy Spirit to help me. I do not want to be so weak that at the first bit of teasing and tempting, I crash and give in, pulling a Scarlett O’Hara and promising I will be better tomorrow. Yes, I want to be better tomorrow, but I prefer to behave NOW, to resist NOW. I don’t want to succumb to the weakness and give in to a fleeting temptation and feel as though I have disappointed me and God, and have disobeyed…Because really, giving in to temptation is committing a selfish sin.
My walk with God is all about becoming better, developing with the help of Him to be more like Jesus. I want to see more progress for myself in this area. NOW.
And speaking of NOW, that too can be an issue. I hate to wait, and I am becoming a tad better at it, but still it yanks on that temptation cord, and says, ‘just have a little piece, NOW, then that will be it, and you won’t be SO bad.’ Liar. A sin is a sin is a sin is a…..
So, I am filling my mind with all sorts of verses about resisting temptation this week, and will type them up, putting in my car, my bathroom, my table beside my chair, in my bible so each bit of reading for the next day, will have the verses there. I have to read those verses, ask for God’s help before reading the area of study I am in for that day.
They are typed and ready to be placed. Thank You, God for offering me ways to be obedient.
I will let you know in a few weeks how this plan and God’s help is working for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Psalm 16:9,10 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol. Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 37:7 And now Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Hebrews 7:19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
I have lots of books in my belongings. Some I pass on to others I think will appreciate, some I hold tightly to, believing that I will re-read again—when I have time. Rarely do I have that time. There’s always something else to enjoy, read, or do!
But I have several books that contain meaningful little quips that I like to adopt and share. One is the title of this HOPE: He Offers Peace Eternal. For those of us who know Him, we know that, and should be passing that on to others.
I am not always fruitful there. Not that I don’t try; although I certainly do not try on a large scale. I am far more comfortable with smaller groups, and one on one, or one on two. But the above title is true to me and the acronym easy to start a conversation with. I am not always able to see my message become fruitful. But I am not responsible for another’s belief; my responsibility is to pass on the God News.
It is important to me I keep in mind that if the truth of Jesus I have passed on to another is not (immediately) accepted/believed/or maybe even planted….I need to remember I am responsible for me and my actions and God judges those, not whether my intent was successful.
God is responsible for putting other opportunities for those people to hear of the Savior and who God is from others. He wants me to pass on the HOPE, the Good News; I am not responsible for another’s acceptance; only making sure I pass the truth to the best of my ability.
God has given each of us free choice. Although He has CHOSEN each of us; each person has to choose Him back in order to not spend eternity in HELL.
I choose Hope and thank You for all the hope and confidence I have in You and my eternity and the near future for me and “mybellaviews.”
HOPE: He Offers Peace Eternal From Marquee Messages Sentence Sermons for the Church Sign Shirley Jones Garmon, 2000, Pathway Press, Cleveland, TN 37311
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!