The Turkey Hand

   This is a story that I hope will encourage you to be thankful for everything you have in your life. I’m not just talking about the good things, but also the bad things.

   Many years back my time at Lancaster Bible College began. I went through a lot of ups and downs my freshman year. I had reached the point where I thought life wasn’t worth living. Then I decided to play soccer. It was there that I met two really good friends. Both of these friends realized that we all needed to improve our self-esteem (God-esteem). We all agreed to write down five things we were thankful for about ourselves.

   I started writing the list but it wasn’t easy. That was how down I was. On Sunday I went to church where I was teaching second grader during Sunday school. One activity we were to do was to draw our hand and make it look like a turkey. Then we had to write five things we were thankful for. I sat there thinking about all the things I was blessed to have, and I wrote down everything that came to mind. By the time I was done my paper was overflowing.

   It took me doing an activity meant for children for me to realize how blessed I was. Sometimes we go through difficult things and times in life. But, no matter the difficulties, God is with us. He give us so many blessings that we may not even know about.

   This Thanksgiving I encourage you to think about everything you are thankful for. Try to not only think about the obvious things like family, friends, home, etc. But, to also think about things you may not normally think about like the trials you went through, the people in your past who helped shape you, and the everyday things we tend to take for granted. And, if you so desire, create a turkey hand to write all the things you are thankful for. I am sure that your list will overflow just like mine did.

   I would like to say how thankful I am for all of you. Thank you for making an impact on me in one way or another. Your name is definitely on my turkey hand this year.

   1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 107:1, Colossians 3:15-17