* All blog posts are written by Jamie Chong-You unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thankfulness


It's hard to believe that seven years have gone by since our nation was devastated by the 9/11 attacks, but it's true. It seems like yesterday when you consider the images of destruction, crying loved ones, grieving friends and a nation brought to it's knees by tragedy. So much happened so quickly and so many people were gone from this life in a matter of moments. In light of that reality, I just wanted to take some time to remind us all to be thankful.


It can be so easy to get caught up in the cares of life and the difficulties that we all face, but nothing can make you stop and think about what you have to be thankful for like the reality that you could be gone from this earth in an instant. Many of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack of 2001 didn't have a chance to look at their lives and be thankful that they had family, freedom, a well-paying job, an opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ in a free nation, and so many other things. In just a few short moments, it was all gone. Let's be people who don't need tragedy to cause us to fall to our knees and thank God or cry out to Him. Let's remain in that place continually.


Remember what King David said in Psalm 34:1 - 'I will bless the lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.' So whether it's good or bad, let's bless His name. Whether we're happy or sad, let's bless His name. Whether we're rich or poor, let's bless His name. Whether the day went well or it was just plain horrible, let's bless His name. He is our unchanging and faithful Father who never leaves us, or forsakes us. He causes His face to shine on us and when others might turn away from you, He never will; any turning away is always on our part. So in light of these things, let's never let a moment go by that we're not thankful for who Father God is, what He's done, and what He's going to continue to do in your life.


Until next time, have a day full of thankfulness to our Heavenly Daddy!!

2 comments:

Jim McKenzie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim McKenzie said...

Jamie - thanks for the encouragement.

I think that our lack of gratitude sometimes stems from our lack of remembrance. Just as it can be difficult to really remember how I felt in the days after the terrorist encounter on 9/11, it can be easy to also forget who I was before my encounter with God. I understand why God instructed His people to build monuments in the desert. It was to remind them always of what He had done for them because he knew they would forget. I don't ever want to be ungrateful, so I must choose to always remember what God has done for me, even if it means I need to take the time to write it down.