Heart Hope by Olga

Yesterday I posted a generic T hanksgiving quiz so you could see how you are doing generally with your thankfulness. Today I have posted a test of gratitude that Charles Stanley from In Touch Ministries gave on his weekly television program. This test differs because it is specific to our Christian walk. Our relationships with the Lord can be evaluated by our gratitude. Paul used the word overflowing to describe how great our thankfulness should be. People who have grateful hearts are:  A. Positive. Thankfulness keeps us focused on what Lord is doing in our lives. B. Aware of God’s presence. When we know that the Lord is actively involved in our lives, we can sense His presence. C. Humble. We recognize the Lord as the source of every good thing and admit we had nothing to do with it. D. Peaceful. When we place our trust in Christ and watch for His activity in our lives, we have His peace. E. Thoughtful. Gratitude makes us thoughtful. F. Generous. ...

There is a pretty generic quiz to determine your thankfulness online at www.blogthings.com . It is a series of questions that you are supposed to answer with always, often, sometimes, rarely or never. I think it is a good indicator of our daily life to see if we are content. Take a look below and see where you rate in each area. Some areas will probably be better than others, but when you know where you are not doing so well you can begin to do something about it. When you think about your life, you're content. There's a lot going right. Even though your family isn't perfect, you're happy that they are your relatives. You are generally pleased with your career or school. You are about where you want to be. You feel lucky to have such great friends. As time goes on, you have started to appreciate the little things in life more. You think of how others have helped you in life and try to pay back the favor to them. Even when you...

‘Twas the morning of Thanksgiving when all through the house preparations had been made… It was going to be perfect. The lawn had been manicured, the house had been cleaned. The table was set with the Woodlands Spode china set on Southern Living chargers, crisp white monogrammed linens and Waterford crystal. Fresh flowers adorned the table, and the food had been prepared. All was well, until... Billy had gotten up early with the kids to let everyone else catch a few extra winks of sleep, but while watching The Lion King yet once again, he looked down and that's when the discovery was made. I heard him heading down the hallway, calling Margaret's name and saying, "Come and see." A few moments later Margaret dashed into our bedroom with a look of shock across her face and announced, “Molly has lice.” L-I-C-E... How could it be? Margaret suddenly remembered the note that had come home from school the week before which told of an outbreak of the insect...

Several months ago, my sister, Ginny and I were visiting and she told me of a quote that she had read which said, “What if you woke up tomorrow morning and you had only the things that you were thankful for today.” This was a pretty startling question and made me examine my thankful quotient. I try to be thankful, not only because the Bible commands it of us but also because I have so much to be thankful for in my life. A thankful heart can always be improved upon, so I did a little research to see what the Bible says on the subject. I was rather shocked to find out that the word thanksgiving is only used 32 times in the NIV translation of the Bible; however, there are some powerful things that are described in them. Let’s take a look… First, we are supposed to give thanks to God for every good thing comes from Him. It’s easy to fall into the trap of grumbling and complaining, so we need to refocus so that we become people who are thankful. How many times a day do you thank God fo...