"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name" -Psalm 100:4
As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving day, it is natural for us to think about all the blessings that the Lord has given us. The Lord truly has been good to His people, but in a lot of ways we tend to take His blessings for granted sometimes. It is part of our sinful nature that causes us to think that God owes us what He has blessed us with. However, this is the wrong way for us to think. God does not owe us anything. We are rebels against Him and because of that, all we deserve is death. For this reason, any blessing the Lord grants us is solely because of His grace alone. I understand that during this time of year, it may be difficult for some people to be thankful. For a lot of people, the holiday season brings to mind a lot of pain and heartache. But, no matter how much pain you have experienced during this time, I know that there are some things you can be thankful for. Whether it is the fact that you have a roof over your head or that you are in good health, every one of us has something to be grateful for during this time. I believe that as Christians, we should always think about what we are thankful for because we know the Giver of All Good Gifts. Tons of psychological studies have shown the benefits of having a heart of gratitude. People who are more grateful for what they have tend to be less stressed in life and as a result, they tend to live much longer. They also tend to be much more physically and mentally healthy. I understand that life is all about struggle since the Fall of Adam, but there are still good things about life and if we can take a moment to look at what we have instead of what we do not have, we will benefit greatly. In this blog, I shall discuss some things that I am thankful to the Lord for. The purpose of this blog is to get the reader to begin thinking about what they are thankful for during this time. The things I will be posting are in a particular order from most grateful to least grateful, but I would like to say that they all hold special significance in my heart. Instead, all of my blessings are on equal footing in my opinion. After you finish reading what I am thankful for, please feel free to comment below and let me know what you are thankful for. I would love to know.
1) I am thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ saved me from the pits of hell by His shed blood on the cross
I cannot stress this enough because if it were not for the sacrifice of Christ, I would literally be lost without Him. I cannot even begin to fathom exactly how much it cost Him to be my sacrifice, but I am always grateful for what He did on my behalf. When I contemplate what He did for me, it causes me to love Him all the more.
2) The Support of My Wife
I really appreciate the love and unconditional support of my wife. She demonstrates genuine Christ-like love towards me during my high times and my low times. I know we have only been married for a little over three years, but I can honestly say that I could not have married a better woman. She truly means the entire world to me.
3) My Sisters
I love my sisters dearly because they have always been there for me my entire life, even when I made things very difficult for them. They never wavered in their love for me. I know that it was because of their love, support, and prayers for me that I can say I am the man I am today. My sisters will always be special in my heart.
4) My best friends and brothers, Joe Roman, Chuck Ward, Britton Garleb, and Joseph McDermott
These four godly men have been pretty much the very best friends that I have ever had in my entire life. We may not see eye to eye on quite a few things, but I know that in the line of battle, we would take a bullet for each other. I appreciate how I can always be myself around these four guys and they never judge me harshly. I can truly say that I love these brothers in Christ from the bottom of my heart.
5) My Spiritual Father, Marv Adamo
Marv has been a great influence in my life. I appreciate how he never hesitates to set me straight with one of his infamous lectures. I have learned a lot about faith in Christ from being discipled by him. I appreciate how I've always been able to be myself around him and he never judged me also. I even have been able to be vulnerable in front of him too and he still showed me the love of Christ.
6) Stonebridge Evangelical Presbyterian Church
I absolutely love my church family because they have been awesome at showing my wife and me unconditional love and support. I appreciate that when I was laid up in the hospital for three months, they did not cease showing me love. They would actually go out of their way to make sure I knew I was not alone during that time. This church has been phenomenal at sharing Christ's love with me.
7) The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry & Team
I am so very thankful for the call that the Lord has placed on my life. For the longest time, I felt like my life had no purpose, but now I feel like I am meant for something important. I take my call to be a Christian Mental Health Advocate seriously, which is why I work so hard at being the best advocate I can be. I am also very thankful for the team that the Lord led me to put together because it is because of their support that I can keep going. I love their feedback and encouraging words.
8) My Psychiatrist and Therapist
I am so very thankful for my psychiatrist and therapist because the Lord has really used them in my life to keep me stable and out of the hospital or prison. I do not know where I'd be today if it were not for these kinds of services. I know that mental health treatment is pretty controversial in today's day and age, but I see the benefits of these treatments in my own life. For this reason alone I praise God for the mental health services I am receiving.
9) Thomas Wernert Center
I love the Thomas Wernert Center for a variety of reasons. For one, I enjoy the fact that I can socialize with other people with various mental illnesses such as myself. It feels nice not being the odd man out for once. Secondly, I love that they provide me with the tools to know how to handle my own mental health properly and they also help to better understand my own mental illness better. I understand that this place is a secular organization, but I love the work they do to provide us with positive peer support, advocacy, and knowledge. Lastly, I really enjoy the support groups they have to offer because I enjoy talking to people who think like I do and who truly understand me too.
I hope that you can see from this blog that we can find anything to be thankful for. They do not have to be extravagant things. They can be small blessings in our lives, but still hold a lot of significance to us. It would do us a lot of good if we thought about what we are thankful for instead of what we do not have more often. So, tell me, what is it that you are thankful for this Thanksgiving season? I'd love to know! May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving day, it is natural for us to think about all the blessings that the Lord has given us. The Lord truly has been good to His people, but in a lot of ways we tend to take His blessings for granted sometimes. It is part of our sinful nature that causes us to think that God owes us what He has blessed us with. However, this is the wrong way for us to think. God does not owe us anything. We are rebels against Him and because of that, all we deserve is death. For this reason, any blessing the Lord grants us is solely because of His grace alone. I understand that during this time of year, it may be difficult for some people to be thankful. For a lot of people, the holiday season brings to mind a lot of pain and heartache. But, no matter how much pain you have experienced during this time, I know that there are some things you can be thankful for. Whether it is the fact that you have a roof over your head or that you are in good health, every one of us has something to be grateful for during this time. I believe that as Christians, we should always think about what we are thankful for because we know the Giver of All Good Gifts. Tons of psychological studies have shown the benefits of having a heart of gratitude. People who are more grateful for what they have tend to be less stressed in life and as a result, they tend to live much longer. They also tend to be much more physically and mentally healthy. I understand that life is all about struggle since the Fall of Adam, but there are still good things about life and if we can take a moment to look at what we have instead of what we do not have, we will benefit greatly. In this blog, I shall discuss some things that I am thankful to the Lord for. The purpose of this blog is to get the reader to begin thinking about what they are thankful for during this time. The things I will be posting are in a particular order from most grateful to least grateful, but I would like to say that they all hold special significance in my heart. Instead, all of my blessings are on equal footing in my opinion. After you finish reading what I am thankful for, please feel free to comment below and let me know what you are thankful for. I would love to know.
1) I am thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ saved me from the pits of hell by His shed blood on the cross
I cannot stress this enough because if it were not for the sacrifice of Christ, I would literally be lost without Him. I cannot even begin to fathom exactly how much it cost Him to be my sacrifice, but I am always grateful for what He did on my behalf. When I contemplate what He did for me, it causes me to love Him all the more.
2) The Support of My Wife
I really appreciate the love and unconditional support of my wife. She demonstrates genuine Christ-like love towards me during my high times and my low times. I know we have only been married for a little over three years, but I can honestly say that I could not have married a better woman. She truly means the entire world to me.
3) My Sisters
I love my sisters dearly because they have always been there for me my entire life, even when I made things very difficult for them. They never wavered in their love for me. I know that it was because of their love, support, and prayers for me that I can say I am the man I am today. My sisters will always be special in my heart.
4) My best friends and brothers, Joe Roman, Chuck Ward, Britton Garleb, and Joseph McDermott
These four godly men have been pretty much the very best friends that I have ever had in my entire life. We may not see eye to eye on quite a few things, but I know that in the line of battle, we would take a bullet for each other. I appreciate how I can always be myself around these four guys and they never judge me harshly. I can truly say that I love these brothers in Christ from the bottom of my heart.
5) My Spiritual Father, Marv Adamo
Marv has been a great influence in my life. I appreciate how he never hesitates to set me straight with one of his infamous lectures. I have learned a lot about faith in Christ from being discipled by him. I appreciate how I've always been able to be myself around him and he never judged me also. I even have been able to be vulnerable in front of him too and he still showed me the love of Christ.
6) Stonebridge Evangelical Presbyterian Church
I absolutely love my church family because they have been awesome at showing my wife and me unconditional love and support. I appreciate that when I was laid up in the hospital for three months, they did not cease showing me love. They would actually go out of their way to make sure I knew I was not alone during that time. This church has been phenomenal at sharing Christ's love with me.
7) The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry & Team
I am so very thankful for the call that the Lord has placed on my life. For the longest time, I felt like my life had no purpose, but now I feel like I am meant for something important. I take my call to be a Christian Mental Health Advocate seriously, which is why I work so hard at being the best advocate I can be. I am also very thankful for the team that the Lord led me to put together because it is because of their support that I can keep going. I love their feedback and encouraging words.
8) My Psychiatrist and Therapist
I am so very thankful for my psychiatrist and therapist because the Lord has really used them in my life to keep me stable and out of the hospital or prison. I do not know where I'd be today if it were not for these kinds of services. I know that mental health treatment is pretty controversial in today's day and age, but I see the benefits of these treatments in my own life. For this reason alone I praise God for the mental health services I am receiving.
9) Thomas Wernert Center
I love the Thomas Wernert Center for a variety of reasons. For one, I enjoy the fact that I can socialize with other people with various mental illnesses such as myself. It feels nice not being the odd man out for once. Secondly, I love that they provide me with the tools to know how to handle my own mental health properly and they also help to better understand my own mental illness better. I understand that this place is a secular organization, but I love the work they do to provide us with positive peer support, advocacy, and knowledge. Lastly, I really enjoy the support groups they have to offer because I enjoy talking to people who think like I do and who truly understand me too.
I hope that you can see from this blog that we can find anything to be thankful for. They do not have to be extravagant things. They can be small blessings in our lives, but still hold a lot of significance to us. It would do us a lot of good if we thought about what we are thankful for instead of what we do not have more often. So, tell me, what is it that you are thankful for this Thanksgiving season? I'd love to know! May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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