Gift of Blessings

This is the season of reflecting on our blessings, being thankful for the gifts God has given us, and sharing those with others. As we enter November, our season of Thanksgiving, or rather of thanks and giving. My thoughts are taken to the blessings of my life, my children, friends and family, my church family, all our children, youth, and families, life itself, and the beautiful nature we live in. The passage from James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” This passage defines where the gift of blessings comes from and we can be given no greater gift. Lately I have personally felt gifts from God above, from finding and purchasing my new home to someone I know finding our sweet dog Ella when she got out recently. We can ask ourselves, “What are the odds?” or “What are the chances?”, but those of us with faith know that they come from God above. When we begin to realize that our lives are blessed with God’s gifts, we see the meaning of John 3:27, “No one can give a gift except the one who has it; God is the source of all good gifts.”

We give thanks for our blessings, and we give our gifts to those in need. One of my favorite service projects we do is our Thanksgiving meal boxes. It is a great intergenerational project that makes us aware of what it means to give back. Our children decorate the boxes during Sunday School, our youth sort and fill them, and our fearless Outreach committee distributes them to those in need. If you haven’t already, please take a leaf in the Narthex and sign up to donate. All the food given matters and enables us to feed at least 25 families. When we come together for a common goal there is no telling what we can accomplish for sharing our gifts of blessings with others. Proverbs 22:9 states, “The generous themselves will be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Let us all be blessed this Thanksgiving.