An Attitude of Gratitude

Hey campers!
I hope you guys have been having a fabulous school year! I miss camp so much and can’t wait until next summer! Right now I am in grade 12 and I am having a blast while learning so many new things! One of the biggest things God has been teaching me lately is gratitude.

For the past two months I have spent all my weekends working on a pumpkin farm. Seeing all the happy families that come is one of the greatest things in the world. Oh and the pumpkin spice lattes that we sell are a great bonus. So, if you cant tell, I LOVE FALL! Fall brings about thanksgiving and many thoughts about what I'm thankful for. My thanksgivings have always been filled with yummy food and counting my blessings. However, the next day I would wake up and throw that attitude of gratitude out the window. I would always find myself complaining about something and forgetting what I had just expressed I was so thankful for the day before. ​

This year was different. This fall I had really taken an interest in travel and the cultural differences around the world. After learning about the problems such as war, drought, famine and sickness around the world my thinking began to shift. I live in a peaceful area with water to drink, food to eat, and I am healthy. After realizing that some people don’t have these basic things that I take for granted, I realized I REALLY needed to make a change in my life.

This thanksgiving was a starting point for my attitude of gratitude. I told myself I wouldn't let thanksgiving just be a one day thing. Being thankful is something that should always happen. So as I sat down to eat my massive and delicious thanksgiving meal with my whole family by my side, I made a commitment to wake up each morning and thank God for something new. ​

We are called to pray, to rejoice, and to be thankful for the countless blessings we receive.

As I have begun my attitude of gratitude mission, I have been really challenging myself to be thankful... always. Not just thankful for a birthday present or thankful for new clothes. I am learning to be thankful for the things I am generally not thankful for. I have learned to be thankful for homework I don’t want to do because that means I am going to school or dishes that need to be washed because that means my family has food to eat. Life will be hard and God will throw challenges our way but there is always something to be thankful for!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

We are called to pray, to rejoice, and to be thankful for the countless blessings we receive. That is what God wants us to do. God sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us was by far the biggest blessing of them all. The fact I am alive, set free, and am no longer a salve to sin and fear is the most amazing blessings ever!

Today I am thankful for a loving God and for being able to share this message with you guys! Just like I have been doing, I want to challenge you campers to come up with a list of what you are thankful for. Trust me, it is pretty awesome to see a written list of your blessings, mine sits beside my bed as a reminder. 

Have a great rest of the year! You all will be in my thoughts and payers!

- Cactus ​