Unstoppable.

Today in the United States, thousands of families are united at least for a little while. They put their differences aside, and gather around a table to celebrate the simple act of being thankful. How many times a day, week, or even year do you just take a moment to step back and praise God for what you're thankful for? I know I thank Him every single day for the things I've been given. It's so easy to be thankful when I've been blessed with so much. More than I could ever hope to repay Him for. It's harder to thank Him for those times when I wasn't sure where I would end up, or if my family would ever heal from the things we've been faced with. It is hard, but those times when He was all I had to cling to, are the times that made me who I am today. Without those times I would still be a shy girl who was afraid to voice her opinion because she feared the judgement of others. These days the only judgement that will truely affect me is the judgement of God. These days I am strong. God has lifted me back onto my feet every single time I've fallen down. I owe Him so much, and have so little to offer. He adores me anyways.

I skyped the little family that remains in Georgia for the holidays and it broke my heart not to be there for the first time in my life. However, when I look around at this new world and I see where I was before I came here, I am so incredibly thankful that I was not there for Thanksgiving this year. God's work in my life is greater and for more important than a meal with my family. He is forcing me to grow. He is forcing me to become reliant on Him instead of the warm embrace of my Momma and my Philly. It's so hard. It's excruciating, but I will be okay. My reward will be an eternity of peace, so what am I really losing? I get to spend my first holiday away from my family with a new kind of family. One that speaks a new language and eats a different kind of food, but we are all on fire for God. In the end, what more is there? What more could we possibly ask for?

So many times we ask the question "what are you thankful for" and go around the table just to hear the typical responses: "my family" "my friends" "my job" "my car" "bla bla bla". I want to challenge us to take a deeper look at our lives, and think about what our lives could be like if God were to turn away from us. His grace and His unconditional love are the only things worthy of being thanked. He is unstoppable.

Today I am thankful. I am thankful for my family. For my friends. For my car. For my job. For my warm bed I sleep in every night. For the food that is never lacking. For the clothing that is never falling apart. For the Bible that comforts me when I'm going through dark times. For the dark times that bring me closer to God. For the bright times that leave me reeling from the display of His glory. I am thankful that I have so much when others have so little. I don't know why God decided that I was the one who got to have this amazing life I've been given, but I am going to do everything in my power to make Him look good.

So I guess all that's left to ask is...what are you thankful for?

All for His Glory,
Taylor