Bring it Home (November

1st Thessalonians 5:18 says, "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This is a wonderful time of year, where we all take time to give thanks for the blessings we have. Although it has been a tough two years, we do have much to be thankful for.

One of the best ways to grow closer to God is to give thanks for all that He has done for us. One of my professors from seminary tells a story of how he was able to help prevent a woman from committing suicide by getting her to name all the things she was thankful for.

Having an attitude of gratitude should not just be something we focus on during one month of the year, it should be part of our lifestyle. Recently, my wife and I have started writing down in a journal what our family is thankful for. We even ask our 2 year old daughter what she is thankful for, and include it in that journal. This journal then is a record of all the blessings God has given us. We can then go back to that record and see what God has done, and we can know that He will always provide for us. Seeing how God has provided for us helps strengthen our relationship with Him.

As you help your student to grow in their relationship with God, I want to invite you to start asking what your student is thankful for daily, then share with them something you are thankful for and express those things to God through prayer. You do not have to write it down in a journal like my family does, but if you do, it is a great tool to review God's blessings in your life.  

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