Okay, so I have not been keeping up with my thirty days of giving thanks. The last couple of weeks have been full of work and church that I have not had much free time. For the first time in several weeks, I have had  a free weekend. It was nice to have some time at home to get some much needed projects crossed off my list. One of those projects is getting back to my Thirty Days of Giving Thanks.

Day Six
I thank God that I live in a country that gives me the freedom to vote for my elected officials and gives me a say in the political issues. In some parts of the world, people are ruled by dictators, tyrants and kings. But here in the United States, we have leaders elected by the people. We may not always agree with the outcome of the election. We may not like the way that the election process works. We may not like the negative campaigning, name calling and lies. But it is a freedom afforded to us by the Constitution, and should never take it for granted.

Day Seven
I thank God that I have freedom to express my own religious views without reservations. In some countries, it is illegal and even punishable with death if you say that you are a Christian. Wow, that is so amazing and hard for me to believe. But as a American, I can freely proclaim my views without looking over my shoulder, fearing some one is coming after me. Or I can read my Bible and not have to hide it when I see a police officer. Sadly this is the true for some people in the world.

Day Eight
I thank God that for this His Grace and Mercy that He provided through His son Jesus Christ. I am in no way perfect. I am still growing in all areas of my life. I make mistakes along the way. But I know that God is molding me, shaping me and helping me to be a better person. It is so awesome to think that when I mess, all I have to do is go to Him and ask Him for the forgiveness. But what is better than that, is that He will forgive me and help me to not do it again.

Day Nine
I thank God that my mother-in-law raised her daughter to be a strong woman. Although I never had the opportunity to meet her, I know that her spirit on lives in my beautiful wife. When my wife tells me stories of her mother, I can see the pride and love that she has for her. The longer that I am married to my wife, I can see how she is becoming more like her mother. She was a great role model and there is not a better person to be want to be like.

Day Ten
I thank God that my father-in-law raised a daddy’s girl. He treated her like a princess and sacrificed his time for her. He worked long hours and sometimes two jobs so that he could provide for the opportunity to go to private school all the way through college. He gave me the inspiration to know how I wanted to treat his daughter, doing everything I can to make sure that life has everything that it needs to be joyful.

JAY