A week of thankfulness... Day One

A week from today, we in the great U.S. of A will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Though I feel that the main focus during this particular holiday is anything but actually giving thanks, it is a fun day to spend time with family. And the delicious food doesn't hurt either.

The origin of this beloved Turkey eating day is some time in the early 1600's. Of course it is the traditional story to make mention of the Mayflower and the joining of pilgrims and Indians for a day of feasting. It became a national holiday in 1863 and was historically a day to give thanks to God.

Now in 2010, Thanksgiving is all about parades, pumpkin pie, and black Friday shopping.
But in the spirit of returning to the roots of Thanksgiving origination, a recent wave of "giving thanks" has hit the Facebook scene with many people posting something they are thankful for each day in the month of November.

Though I am not generally a crowd follower, I thought that perhaps I would give it a try as we begin the one week countdown to turkey induced naps. So in that spirit of Thanksgiving.... Today, Thursday the 18th of November in the year 2010; I am thankful for.....

Running shoes.
In the last decade of my life I have discovered the joy of walking and jogging. Of course I discovered this joy after realizing my love for other things would make personal exercise a necessity.

Do you SEE how big that Reese Cup is?

It was literally the highlight of my afternoon in Target.

A 1/2 pound Reese Cup!!! Quite possibly the 8th Wonder of the World.

But anyway, back to the shoes.

I am thankful for my running shoes because of their ability to help me maintain my waistline.

But also for the reminder that God's Word gives us.

You see, sometimes life hands us rough circumstances. Not everything is sugar-y sweet and full of chocolate and peanut butter goodness. Some things are rough. Some things are discouraging. Some things bring about pain. But God reminds us in Hebrews 12:1-2 that we have to "run the race with perseverance" and "fix our eyes on Jesus". In the midst of trial and tribulation or bogged down with temptation, you have the ability to RUN, in fact you are instructed to RUN.

Every time I lace up my running shoes to go walk off those peanut butter cups and other delicious goodies, I am reminded that all of life is a race. And the important things have nothing to do with numbers (be it calories or the numbers on a scale). The important thing is persevering through it all, growing closer and closer to Christ every step.

So today, I am thankful for my running shoes.

(well... I'm also thankful for that 1/2 pound peanut butter cup... hehe)

Yummm..... :-) 

What are you thankful for?