I am thankful for

I am thankful for everything I have experienced
In this life of mine
For in all I have found
That in His Word-the answers I find

I am thankful for all the tears I have cried
For they have taught me to appreciate laughter
They have given me the ability to see the
The joy that comes after

Through my tears I have come to know
His Holy Spirit in my life
How He is always there
And comforts through the strife

I am thankful for the storms I have encountered
Knowing that the rainbow is at the end
Realization that they are only temporal
That with time all will mend

I have learned that I don’t need to be strong
For Jesus supplies the strength for me
He shoulders my burdens
Regardless of what the circumstance may be

I am thankful for all the relationships
For the good and yes, for the bad
For they have given life to my emotions
An appreciation of what I have had

My most valuable relationship
Is that with Jesus, my Father
I know that I can trust Him
As I can trust no other

I am thankful for the pain I have known
It has given a compassion for the suffering
An ability to reach out to others
An appreciation of little things

I understand the greatness of Jesus's love
And the pain He has suffered for me
How He endured all things
So that I could be set free

I am thankful for the hunger and thirst
That I have had to go through
I appreciate having food before me
And sharing it with others too

He has given himself as my food and drink
To make sure that I was fed
His Blood shed for my drink
And His Body broken for my bread

Most of all, I am thankful for His Grace
For the provisions that it brings
How it has provided for
Me in all things

~Kathleen Shelton Poulson