The Thankful Season

Well, the Thanksgiving season is upon us, and while it's not yet the week of that special day, my thoughts are still turning to the many things in my life for which I'm thankful.

I am currently participating in a Beth Moore Bible Study on the Fruits of the Spirit, and this past week, the focus was on faith and how it fights for us when we're getting attacked. One of the key points was to get down on our knees and give thanks for everything God has done for us and what He's going to do. He is faithful, has always been there, and He always will be there. We don't have any reason to doubt that...even though we do when times get tough.

Giving thanks is the same as claiming the truth that God is right there with us, fighting when things seem like they're at their worst. And it's amazing when we take the time to give thanks for all that we have, just how easily our current situations seem to fade into the background and become less of hindrance. We take our eyes off the temporary struggle and focus more on the eventual outcome we know will happen.

This week, I'm realizing that in a very personal way. My little daughter is teething again with more than 1 of her top teeth, and she's leaking out of every available hole in her face. :) Poor little tyke also has a sore throat, so coughing and even crying isn't comfortable at all. She's quite the trooper though, despite the lack of sleep and the constant runny nose. It's exhausting both of us, and as much as my husband would love to help, my daughter won't have anyone but me.

How easy it would be to allow the exhaustion to take control, but instead, I'm giving thanks that God has provided for me to be home with my little girl when she needs me, and that we can nap together when she does succumb to the much-needed rest and sleep. I'm thankful this is only temporary, and that it isn't anything worse. And I'm thankful for a supportive husband, who is doing what he can to help when he's home. But most of all, I'm thankful for the blessing of a little girl who is still a bright spot in my life, and whose little smile amidst bleary eyes and red nose makes the lack of sleep pale in comparison to the love I feel for her.

So, remember when you're going through those difficult times, that giving thanks for what you have and for God being right there with you to fight for you and help you through it, well it's usually the best defense you have.

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Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing specialist and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author in beautiful Colorado Springs. They celebrated the birth of their first child in April and have a vivacious puppy named Roxie, a Border Collie/Flat-Haired Retriever mix. She has sold eight books so far to Barbour Publishing. Other credits include writing articles for various publications, five short stories with Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to the books: 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage and Grit for the Oyster.

Read more about her at her web site: http://www.amberstockton.com/.