The Greatness of Gratitude – Day 1

Throughout scripture there is much to be said for being grateful; for giving thanks.

Psalms 118:24 – This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

It’s hard to remember sometimes that even in the darkest moment, there is much to be grateful for.  As I consider the season of Thanksgiving that we are entering into – One Thousand Gifts – one book I have yet to read.  As I listen to the tumult in my house right now I consider what I have to be thankful for. In all the chaos, in the cries of our daughter, the impatience of my husband and the determination of my boys to color their pictures and “be a hero” before bedtime….Finding something to be thankful for can seem impossible, at best, some days.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Three things I can be thankful for. As I look around at the mess which is home I think of how blessed we are to have it. Safe and warm; dry and cozy it is more than enough. Glory to God. We had a nice warm stew for dinner – praise God for providing food enough to nourish and sustain us (in a time when all the littles are ill and the momma is less than up to par herself).  What else? I have Jesus.  No matter what we may or may not have, I have Him and that means I have all that I need.  For He gives and He takes away but He is the one who knows just what we need and makes sure we always have…Enough.  HalleluYah.

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

I don’t know about you but I can always it never hurts to practice a bit more thanks giving in life. And not just in the month of November. In the craziness of life; in the mess of the flesh isn’t it so true that we can forget how blessed we are?  I pray that in this  Giving Thanks Challenge I can not only remember those blessings which I have forgotten but I can also see blessings where I did not before. What a wonderful time to train my mind and heart to see Him in ALL things, in ALL times.

Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When I think of gratitude I think of acts; verbalizations – a show of some sort – one to another in appreciation for a gift, a kind word or deed. This includes the willingness and eagerness to show appreciation; a gentle and gracious joy one to another. Am I thankful? In my daily life, I fear I far too often see the storm and forget about the rainbow that I can not yet see. I pray the Lord will give me faith and strength, more each day, to stand in the storm and yet see the joys and the blessings within.

My husband may be impatient with the children BUT he is a loving father; he works hard to provide for us ALL our needs and lots of things we do not need (we are somewhat spoiled lol). My children may be sick and crabby, loud and boisterous but they are all healthy and loving; they are active and loving of the Lord (each in their own way). I may want a perfectly tidy and quiet home BUT I have a small and cozy home that is warm and full of the signs of love and life and learning every day. It will not last forever. One day they will be grown. I am blessed beyond measure in this alone.

In these coming days let us consider what it means to be grateful; what it means to give thanks. And let us look always for those things that we should be thankful for.  How do you see gratitude in your life? Count your blessings with me.

What does it mean

DO You See ME?

When things are going well with my kids, I pat myself on the back instead of displaying humble gratitude to the God who is at work in their lives. When things aren’t going well, I condemn myself and meditate on my failures. …(http://www.tosuchasthese.com/2012/03/confessions.html)

Ouchie! I read this and instantly I am ticking off in my head…not just my children, other things in my home, in my life and relationships that I forget to praise Him for. Am I humble? I like to think so? Am I always expressing gratitude when I should be? I need to remember this….When things are not going so well? I am a master of beating myself down…those little imperfections, those accidents, those oopsies and I forgots….I can never forget or live those down. I beat myself up regularly….

If only I could remember to meditate on His word. To praise Him ALWAYS in the good and the bad….perhaps things would be more constant. It’s like a reminder to me when I am forgetting to praise Him, when I am not being as humble or loving as I should be….When I yell at my kids and send them upstairs, act like a clanging gong to my six year old (all he hears is blah blah blah blah……you know?) and I get careless and throw things into their place – kick something across the room….

I have a temper. I have attitude. I have a need to have control – constantly – to be in control and to always know what is coming next. Maybe that’s one reason its so very hard for me to really make friends, and keep them. I have a long list of pet peeves – things that drive me nuts. Such as texting – it bothers me, and I cannot let it go. People who are needy – cannot handle it. The few friends I have, very low maintenance. If we check in once or twice a month its amazing. “it is what it is…” – you know those people- there is always something wrong, something unfair in life, they are always a victim- they drive me insane and truth be told if you call me more than once or twice a month I tend to consider you pretty high maintainence. The health freaks – you know those moms – I met one not long ago at my son’s swim class. Things were great until she started telling me about all the things in foods, why my son was hyper and difficult to manage – lists of doctors and crazy diagnoses that she thought he had, and her kids too. It’s no wonder her kids and her husband were miserable. She made me feel miserable. Always something when I just wanted to scream, “It’s you…you are the problem….let them be kids…why do you need for there to be something wrong with them so badly…?”

Okay I am moving on – before you think I am a nut. So – I admit it. I am strange. I don’t really watch television – we have one and when its on I am there, but I am always somewhere else really. I never owned one, never wanted one.  My hubby and boys – they love it! Praying one day it will go out with the trash but until then….Trying to find the good within – and is that ever a challenge. I digress though – I have been told before, by close friends, that I am extremely peculiar, strange, unique – one in a million. Thanks….I think. I guess truth be told when I step back – I don’t fit in really. Even in our church, others of like mind – If it wasn’t for God I would just stay home. I am the black sheep. I should care, and maybe I do care, more than I like to admit, but at the same time I don’t want to fit in with THOSE people. but then who are THOSE people? 

As a Christian…as a Bible believing, follower of Christ certainly we should be striving to exhert and show Godliness. We must try to be that salt and light but there is definitely a point where we are being something we are not. And we cannot fake it; we cannot get by pretending that we are better than we really are. We must keep it real – do our best to be real people with all of the great and terrible things that come with it – otherwise its all a lie. II remember reading somewhere, in regards to witnessing, that it is such an epic failure for so many because we go into it not being ourselves. what are we selling and who are we trying to sell it to?

I know I have trouble with being myself when it comes to people – I think because, in my case, I am so very aware of how “different” I can be and how “foot in mouth” I am. Its seldom that I can maintain a “normal” conversation with just anyone and that causes me to be uncomfortable and kind of hide more often than not from most people and interactions. Yes, I am typically an introvert – I can be an extrovert but thats when I am ‘here and on other online sites- I have time to compose my thoughts and arguments, I can come to things and folks when I am “good” I have control. 

We all I think should be more aware of our perceptions of ourselves, and others. We should too try to ensure we are not showing ourselves to others as something we are not. I mean if I met me, and I was trying to fit in with everyone else, I sure wouldn’t want that kind of gospel. Let us remember, I think it was Max Lucado who said it, we may be the only Bible some people ever see. Praying we can remember that and show the grace and mercy, the love and patience, that He has shown us. 

Mat 6:25 (KJV) “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life…”