By: Nicole Tropp, blog contributor
Lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the blitz to wrap up courses, there’s a little holiday called Thanksgiving. This day often gets overlooked and, as with many American holidays, the true meaning is skipped right over.
As Americans, many of us are blessed to live lives with more than enough provision. But it goes beyond that. We lead lives with an abundance of intangible blessings and grace.
Even if you looked at it just from the lens of an American perspective versus a global scale, many of us are enjoying blessings that our parents and grandparents hoped for us. How many of us have the opportunity to “have it all” - the education, the family, the career, the house and car? We live in abundance.
Initially, the thought made me feel a twinge of guilt. I will be the first woman in my family line to have all these things. But I recognized that by living in God’s gracious abundance, I have the opportunity to pour out even more.
How can I leverage my education to impact others around me? Can I use my skills and knowledge to help them achieve their own goals and ambitions? What is the calling in my life to further His kingdom with the career I have, based on the education I have been granted? How is my life positioned to make eternal impacts in ways not available to those before me?
And these questions can be asked of you. How is God calling you to utilize the abundance in your storehouses?
The abundance we enjoy is not limited to the material possessions we have or the careers we’re working toward. We are abundantly blessed by the relationships and friendships fostered through our educational and professional networks. Don’t overlook the value or forsake the connections made during this season - especially in a like-minded, Christian environment.
How is God speaking to you this Thanksgiving season? How can you use your abundance for His glory?
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, from your family at Southern Nazarene University!
“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance.” - Matthew 13:12a
