108 - Our lineage

'...the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' (Matthew 1:1)

It's no coincidence who our family, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on, are. All were carefully chosen by God. And we can be thankful for those choices. 

I'm thankful that I come from a lineage of people who loved God. My great-grandparents on my mother's side, for example, were missionaries. My parents raised me to follow God, something I will always, always be grateful for. 

But I'm aware not everyone has the privilege of a Christian lineage. Some may be the only Christian in their family. 

But they can still be thankful. 

Because the moment they put their faith in Christ, they became part of a new family - God's.

It doesn't get much better than that!

And if there are people in your ancestry you'd rather not mention, just read this post - it sums up the colourful characters in our Saviour's lineage pretty well! 

http://marshill.com/2012/12/04/knots-in-jesus-family-tree

The post finishes:

'...there is room for all of us in God’s family, by grace. There is room for men and women, rich and poor, young and old, moral and immoral, Jew and Gentile, perverted and virgin, religious and irreligious, liars and truth tellers, murderers and their victims in the family of God, by grace. There’s room for you no matter what you’ve done or what your family history may be.'

And that's one huge reason to be thankful. 

107 - Curtains

I have a fear of faces looking through a window at night. This actually happened once, and I screamed. Yeah. I blush to admit this. 

Which is why I'm very thankful for curtains. 

Night comes and you can just drag two pieces of material across and shut out the dark. It makes the house feel safer. Warmer. 

Curtains are a reminder God has blessed us with a home - security and comfort. 

Oh, and they can really complement your furniture ;)

Thank you God for the small things - even curtains. 

106 - Locks

'In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.' (Psalm 4:8)

Locks can be seen as a symbol of something wrong in the world. We don't trust others. There are those who would break in and try and steal what the locks protect. 

This is why we can be thankful for them. 

Thankful we have keys and locks to protect our house with each night, or each time we go away. 

Thankful for the way passwords 'lock' our private information online. 

But most of all, thankful that they are not our only source of security - that there is a God watching us each night, who never sleeps, and far surpasses any lock of this world! 

105 - When what was lost is found

'...that which was lost has now been found' (Luke 15:9)

I'm sure we've all been through it. 

You reach into your bag for your purse/wallet/phone/iPod. (It was even a passport for my brother once!)

But it's not there. 

You search deeper. Nothing. You check your pockets. No good. 

Your heart starts to pound, your mind desperately trying to remember when you last had the object you're trying to find. 

Please God no. No. NO. Please help me find it! 

And, just when you're about to give up all hope, He leads you to it. In a pocket you hadn't checked. On the side somewhere in the house. 

And the relief is wonderful. 

But do you remember to say...

Thank you God it wasn't lost for good. 

104 - Peace from God

'You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.' (Isaiah 26:3)

This week, my brother and sister had job interviews, my sister and some friends had exams, and I had a big uni essay to hand in. All nerve-racking stuff. 

But Christians don't have to feel the same panic that non-Christians might feel. Because we know all things are in the hands of a sovereign and loving God and Father. 

We worry and fret that we'll say the wrong thing, write the wrong thing, not get the job, not get the grades we want, fail the essay. God smiles at us and says,

'Don't worry. If you fail, it's because I have something better in mind. My plan won't be affected by your mistakes. If I sent my Son to die for you, don't you believe that I can get you through this? Trust me.'

Thank you God for the peace found in you.