Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” We don’t know what’s past the gate but we are to “enter” with thanksgiving. I remember our first visit to Nice View, it sat behind a gate that obstructed our view, what were we getting into? What would we encounter? At the time we didn’t know where God had brought us but we were thankful to see His hand in our lives so clearly.
We made it through that first visit and a second visit, now we are on the ground, living in Tala, Kenya and it seems everyday is a new “gate” to enter and remember to enter each one with thanksgiving. Some days I’m not so thankful…I miss my kids in Phoenix, my friends, my routine (and yes once in a while I really miss a Wendy’s hamburg!) but God listens to my cries (sometimes literal cries) and that’s usually the time I get an email from a friend with encouraging words that I’m sure God laid on their heart just for me.
With the help of the Holy Spirit I will continue to give thanks for the relationship God invites me into with Him and allow Him to fill my heart with His joy and contentment. It’s a life of thanksgiving and praise as I move towards that “eternal gate” I will pass thru one day.