As we get closer to the end of the year, I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to feel a little worn out from all the ups and downs that this year has brought. In my moments of stress or fatigue, it can be easy to forget the many ways God has lovingly brought me through each thing I have faced this year. But the great thing about the end of the year is that we typically end the year with a season of gratitude followed by a season of giving!

There is no better way to close out a long, hard year than with a opportunity to remember all that we do have and the ways God has brought us through this year. This season is a time that we have set aside to appreciate our family and friends and all that we have. It’s a time to pause and remember that God is good. Even through the hardships we are currently facing, God is still good. He is with you and upholds you with His love.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever…Give thanks to the God of Heaven. His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1, 26

We give thanks because His love for us endures always. He is God yesterday, today and forever. He has made us in His image and we are His children. His faithfulness to us never ends. His love for us started at the beginning of time, it broke into the world the night that Jesus was born, and He demonstrated His love for us when His son Jesus went to the cross.

Not only did He love us then, He loves us now, and He will love us tomorrow. His love endures forever. His love lasts, it remains firm, it is unyielding. In a world where love seems to come and go with no real certainty, knowing this kind of secure love from God brings us so much peace and joy. Romans 8:38-39 says in Christ, there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from God’s love.

As we reflect on this past year, we can see the many ways God has shown us His love through the people in our lives, His blessings and provision, through answered prayers, and even unanswered ones. We can look back and see His loving touch in so many details of our lives.

Thank you God for loving us with an unending love. It is hard to grasp “forever”, but we are thankful for your love that is both ancient and new every morning. As we reflect on the ways you show your love to us each and every day, we give you thanks. In Christ, Amen.

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