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a thankful heart is a happy heart

A Community of Thanksgiving

Sep 4, 2018

Through faith, we believe that God is good and is interested in every part of our lives to bring comfort, peace, beauty, strength and so much more. As chaplain, perhaps my main interest in your spiritual care is to develop a community of thanksgiving. A thankful heart reaps many benefits not just to your own wellbeing but also to the wellbeing of others in your lives.

I was reminded of the power of thanksgiving recently. The week prior to a beautiful vacation in the peaceful north woods, my attentions were on all the things in life that were overwhelming to me. The result was not of peacefulness, but of great stress. But, all that melted away at the cabin when I focused on all that was lovely around me and I was reminded of all the things of which I am thankful for.

All around me was the wonder of nature, the warmth of the sun, and my family enjoying being all together. We all need those reminders that God is good and that He always surrounds us with goodness. It’s been my experience that grateful people are often the most encouraging, kind people.  It makes sense. When we are reminded of the goodness and love around us and through faith believe that is from the heart of God, it is easy to see the good in others and to try to lift each other up in life’s stressful times.

So make that first step of faith and believe in the goodness of God. You can simply start with the beauty of nature around us and ultimately join with the hymn writer, Folliot S. Pierpoint, in singing his song of thanksgiving: For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies.

For the beauty of each hour, Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower, Sun and moon, and stars of light.

For the joy of ear and eye, For the heart and mind’s delight,

For the mystic harmony Linking sense to sound and sight.

For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild.

For each perfect gift of Thine, To our race so freely given,

Graces human and divine, Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.

 By Chaplain Lane Skoglund-Anderson