{"id":2184,"date":"2011-11-22T01:09:15","date_gmt":"2011-11-22T06:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=2184"},"modified":"2011-11-21T18:33:16","modified_gmt":"2011-11-21T23:33:16","slug":"a-thanksgiving-value-enjoying-the-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-enjoying-the-journey.html","title":{"rendered":"A Thanksgiving value: Enjoying the journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are some things I don’t like that are happening in my life right now. \u00a0I’m being audited by the IRS for the past three years. \u00a0And there is a possibility that I may be sued for an auto accident that happened years ago.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While dealing with the grief associated with my husband’s death and major life changes which go along with this realignment of my life, I’m not happy about these other obstacles hitting my life.<\/p>\n

It was only one month after I learned about the audit that I received a letter from my insurance company. \u00a0When I was told I could be sued, I asked the Lord what was the lesson He wanted to teach me from these two bad situations. \u00a0Immediately, He spoke to my heart, “I want you to learn to enjoy the journey.”<\/p>\n

God isn’t shaken by the IRS or a person who claimed he wasn’t injured until a lawyer contacted him. \u00a0The Lord knew that I would be facing these circumstances in the middle of a major life-changing event. \u00a0God isn’t wringing his hands, deeply concerned or sweating in anxiety.<\/p>\n

But is this God’s plan for me? \u00a0Learn to enjoy the journey? \u00a0An ancient Chinese proverb says, “Today is the tomorrow you dreamt about yesterday.” \u00a0Sounds wise; but what does the Bible say about my situation?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>When the people of Judea were sent to Babylon in exile, they were told by God to build houses, marry and have children. \u00a0The Lord, through Jeremiah, said that they would be in exile for 70 years; and they shouldn’t waste their time desiring to go home. \u00a0What was God’s plan for his children while in exile? \u00a0Enjoy the journey.<\/p>\n

Too often we don’t take time to thankful for where we find ourselves at the moment. Instead we anxiously attempt to forecast what will be the next tornado. \u00a0We can’t enjoy lunch because we are concerned there will be no dinner. \u00a0We don’t sleep peacefully because we fret that we may not be able to function tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Everyday I am confronted by people whose children and loved ones face debilitating diseases and circumstances. \u00a0These aren’t people who sinned but they were born with special needs. \u00a0This portion of our population almost never endures their trip through life. \u00a0They remain sincerely grateful for the journey. \u00a0A Thanksgiving value that could replace much of my worry and fitful unbelief is having a grateful heart for each new day. \u00a0The question I’m asking myself is Am I ready to show true thankfulness this Thanksgiving day by enjoying the journey?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are some things I don’t like that are happening in my life right now. \u00a0I’m being audited by the IRS for the past three years. \u00a0And there is a possibility that I may be sued for an auto accident that happened years ago. While dealing with the grief associated with my husband’s death and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,182,40,186,49,16,8,4,41,330,1],"tags":[690,21,688,7,699,715,701,694,689,6,736],"class_list":["post-2184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-disability","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","category-thanksgiving","category-uncategorized","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nA Thanksgiving value: Enjoying the journey - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-enjoying-the-journey.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Thanksgiving value: Enjoying the journey - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are some things I don’t like that are happening in my life right now. \u00a0I’m being audited by the IRS for the past three years. \u00a0And there is a possibility that I may be sued for an auto accident that happened years ago. While dealing with the grief associated with my husband’s death and…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/11\/a-thanksgiving-value-enjoying-the-journey.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-22T06:09:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-11-21T23:33:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/11\/crossroads-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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