Joy, Praise, and Thanksgiving

On January 1, 2010 I promised God that I would share my faith in a way that was new to me. Now, as this year approaches its end, I am so grateful for the strength and perseverance which the Lord has given me to be His vessel through my blog, “Anna’s Faith Journey”. I seek his guidance as I write about my life and my faith. I don’t always know who reads or will read my entries; that I leave up to Him. As I look back over the year, I hope that someday my grandsons will get a better understanding of their faith heritage. They are young now and just beginning to read. I want them to know who I am and what God has done in my life. In the same way that I dedicated my own children to God, I dedicate my grandchildren to Him. I envision them as “Men of God” who will pass on their faith to the next generation. Jesus Christ is The Lord of my life; the light of my life. I hope that the light within me continues to light the lives of others as I pass on the faith that previous generations gave to me.

As I praise God for everything in my life, I tell him how thankful I am. Praise is a form of thanksgiving. We should always come to Him in the spirit of praise and gratitude. Gratitude is an attitude. God wants us to have an internal sense of peace and joy even when our external circumstances would deem otherwise. My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28. I know that God is always functioning in my life, working things for good. I have and will continue to walk through trials knowing that God has a plan and that He will weave my situation to His glory in my life. I never have to travel a road alone. This is why I have an attitude of peace and in turn a continuous attitude of thanksgiving. Happiness is dependent on external circumstances. I am not always happy. Joy is internal. The joy of knowing who I am in Christ keeps me peaceful and grateful in all situations.

How can one experience joy always? Believe in God. He will give you the gift of faith. I believe that God gave His son for me, for all of us, and that when Jesus returned to the Father in heaven He left the comforter for us; the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in us and through us and gives us The Gifts of the Spirit. Internal joy is one of the Spiritual gifts. Read Galatians 5:22. Joy is God’s gift to the believer.

I will continue writing my blog in 2011. This November has been a busy month for me. We had a trip to visit family in Oklahoma with a stop in Dallas, Texas. We are going to New York for a few days and will come back to Pennsylvania to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with our daughters and their families. I love Thanksgiving; being with family and friends, and taking part in cooking and eating turkey and all of the other traditional dishes of the season. After Thanksgiving we are expecting company, my cousin and his wife will be coming from Norway. We are looking forward to their visit. They were such wonderful hosts when we stayed with them during our trip to Norway in the summer of 2009. Then we will be headed back to Florida for the winter. God blesses us daily and we thank Him for everything in our lives.

This will be my last blog in November 2010. I plan to do one blog in December. I will post my testimony. I presented it a few years ago to the women at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Dix Hills on Long Island. I have also shared it with my friends at the Martin Luther Chapel in Marathon, Florida. It is about my journey to Bethlehem; my journey to the cross. I hope my story will encourage others in their faith walk. We are all on a journey. We are all in a different place. Let us continue to lift each other up and keep growing in our faith. Let us live our lives as an example of who we are in Christ. May we live in an attitude of joy, praise, and thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you and God loves you too.