From Now to Thanksgiving…and Beyond
Did
you know that from Tuesday, August 17th to Thanksgiving, there were exactly 100 days?
Now, if you’re like me, Thanksgiving seems really far off. But when I heard
that it was one hundred days away, it didn’t seem so far in the distance.
Am
I ready for the holiday season? Are you kidding? I’m trying to get hold of the
idea that summer is almost over and that school has already started in many
parts of the country.
Some
of Al’s friends who support each other in their effort to stay physically fit
decided to start a 100-day challenge on that Tuesday. It was up to each
individual to decide what his/her goal would be; however, the key was to do
something specific every day until Thanksgiving Day.
Their
goals were as varied as each unique personality in the group but they all
involved improving in some area. One person decided to do push-ups to improve
upper body strength; another committed to stretching exercises every morning
and a third friend set a goal of reading her Bible every day.
Al
set a goal to ride his bike the distance from our house to Copper Harbor, a
small coastal town on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, some 589 miles north. He
figured it would average out to about six miles a day. Always up for
challenges, he rode 88 miles the first week!
Concentrating on one blessing from God every
day seemed to be a good way for me to be in the proper mindset for Thanksgiving,
with a positive attitude and my focus where it should be—on God.
I
started on Saturday August 14th a few days early. We had to miss a
highly anticipated 22-mile bike ride that morning due to an extended power
outage. What would be the blessing for the day? The gift of Life! We could participate in the
ride another time…at least we were alive and well!
On
the 15th, it was the gift of Light! The power had been restored at
11:30 p.m. the night before and we were finally able to get our car and bikes
out of the garage! Hallelujah! And the gift of Love was the focus on the 16th.
Love just seemed to naturally follow Light!
Tuesday the 17th was the official starting day for the group
and it seemed fitting to spend time thanking God for Peace, for the promise of
establishing peace on earth through Jesus Christ in the future as well as
praying for the people of Afghanistan in their time of dire circumstances.
Day
five was gratitude for the gift of Jesus, who not only will return to usher in
a whole new world where peace and love reign, but who also shows us the way to
have peace with God moment by moment.
Subsequent
days have been filled with praises ranging from the gifts of husband Al to
God’s Word to family, not in any
particular order but coming to mind spontaneously each morning. My 100-day
challenge is already bringing much joy! Now I can hardly wait till
Thanksgiving! Come to think about it, praising God daily is a goal that can
continue indefinitely.
The
apostle Paul had his heart and mind set on being a faithful follower of Christ
and spent much of his life encouraging others to do the same. His wasn’t a
100-day challenge, but rather a lifelong commitment.
Whether
it’s training the body to be in top shape, the mind to think good thoughts and
the tongue to speak them, the heart to love others rather than to judge, the
soul to praise God for His goodness toward us or maybe all of the above,
setting specific goals is crucial to positive personal development. As we pray
for guidance and seek God for his strength, He will certainly enable us to do
just that.
Help
us, Lord, in our commitment to follow You. May You receive all of the glory now
and forever, Amen.
“Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the
prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it
to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last
forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight
like a boxer beating the air.”*
1 Corinthians 9:24-26 NIV
(Pictures from Thanksgiving 2019 with Chris, Shanda and family)
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