Being thankful leads to joy

By Ellen Shuck

Do we desire to be joyful?

It's a dumb question. Right?

Everybody wants to be happy and joyful.

Thanksgiving has passed and the holidays are fast approaching.

For many, sizzling, beautifully browned turkeys and other delicacies lined kitchen tables, the aroma filling the air soon after entering the door. The dishes of meat, vegetables and home-baked bread, produced a smorgasbord of beauty and elegance. And delicious caked, pies, puddings and fruit were plentiful.

We might have left the table over-stuffed, but hopefully thankful to God for his extraordinary blessings.

However, not everyone had access to such wonderful events, such as eating and visiting with loved ones.

It's because of God we had family and friends in our midst. He provided the scrumptious food on which we feasted. We should be thankful wherever we dined, whether in a beautiful home, a tiny apartment, or a restaurant. If all we have to eat was a sandwich, we should be thankful.

Being thankful for what one has, is to inherit joy. It causes us to realize how great we are. Seriously, not in a bragging way, but in a "thanks be to God way." God has made us who we are. Think of all the skills and talents we have. Be thankful. Give thanks for your health.

It seems the gratitude journal has been beat to death, but if we give the journal it's just due, we will recognize the value of such writing. Journaling about the gifts and blessings we receive allows us to recall how fortunate we are. There are things, states of health, friends, events and all kinds of blessings we're heir to, without even noticing them.

If we think about life, even though it may be filled with trauma, heartbreak and hardship, we can still be joyful and be glad.

"This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it," Psalms 118:24. The Scripture doesn't read, "We will rejoice and be glad in it if it's warm and sunny, if I just won the lottery, received a new baby or had my first book published. It means that what makes, any day or time beautiful and awesome, is the fact that God made it -- and most of all -- that God resides within it. God resides inside all of us.

Let's make an effort to recall our blessings constantly and we will never fail to be filled with joy.