“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On this Thankful Thursday I am reflecting on last week. I was blessed to have a week off from school which afforded me extra time to spend with family and friends who are like family. Today’s pictures are some of the highlights from my week.

I am also reflecting today on my mantra for the year, “be a light.” While I am giving thanks to God for all the blessings of last week, I wonder if I was shining the light of Christ while I interacted with others? Did I do everything “in the name of Jesus Christ”? There were moments that I lost my focus and acted more human than Christ-like. In fact, it’s mostly around family that we let our guard down and act more human. However, I pray the prevalent reflection I present is that of Christ.

How can we stay focused on being a light for Christ, even when we are with family? We must give thanks. Having an attitude of thankfulness for even the smallest things helps me “do it all in the name of Lord Jesus”.

A couple weeks ago, I shared with you the practice of keeping a gratitude journal. Click here to read the post. Have you started writing down your gratitudes daily? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. Leave us a note or text/email one of us. Julie and I love sharing in your faith journey.

Today is also the first day of December. I encourage you to begin to pray about choosing a word, mantra, or both for 2023. Choosing a word/mantra has helped shape my walk with Christ and helped me be intentional. To stay focused on my word/mantra for 2022 I began writing both of them every day at the bottom of my gratitude list for the day.

As we go throughout this Thankful Thursday, let’s carry out Colossians 3:17.

“Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. * * *”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭MSG‬‬