How do we show true gratitude for something or someone? During this past challenging season in my life I found myself struggling to not feel overwhelmed by the people who came and cared for us. How do I ever truly say THANK YOU? What does that look like in my heart? During my senior year in high school we got a new English teacher and she was my first period teacher. So as I was flying into my seat after my mom had to almost literally drag me out of bed I was challenged with this assignment for six weeks. A gratitude journal. Each morning I had to write down two things I was thankful for and why. Some of my entries were fairly sarcastic BUT I have never forgotten that challenge. And although it was during Thanksgiving time that we did this assignment it has marked me for life.
Here is the other thing that keeps getting me in trouble. Before David, my almost one year old baby, was even born I saw this Veggietales book in a kiosk at a gas station on I-70. I had to buy it and it even sings for you!! Well now he loves it and we read it and play the song every morning. It has become our routine. It’s called, “I thank God for this day!” The song goes like this.
Now David can not talk in sentences yet but I challenge myself to say out loud what I am grateful for! Here we are again in a habit of thankfulness! I am so thankful that I am a momma! It challenges so many things in me daily but it also gives me a chance to learn things fresh, to learn them all over again!
But how do we show true gratitude? How do we let people know that we are thankful? We live our lives! We say it and mean it! We bless others and pay it forward! We live like there is no tomorrow! We strive to be the best version of ourselves and find joy in the mundane! When I see my friends and family thriving it fills me with JOY it fills me with hope for myself! At times its causes me to look inside myself and ask questions. Sometimes it even causes jealousy but I get to chose to dwell there or surrender that to Jesus. I get to live life to the fullest and take time to be grateful for all God has blessed me with!! It is truly the only response necessary!
Well today I am thankful for God giving me an incredible husband, the sweetest little boy, and family and friends that fill the in between moments! I am grateful for words to write here and to sing there! I am grateful for people who live in truth and challenge me to do the same. I am grateful for this day because I know like many others that we aren’t always promised tomorrow! I am grateful for my home church that raised me, loved me, sent me, and taught me about the Bible! I am grateful for crazy Royals parades with 1000’s of people. I am grateful for a Veggietales book that starts my day with my little man right! I am grateful for the Word of God and where would my life be without it! I am grateful for redemption and mercy and the Cross! And I am grateful for Fall and hot chai on a chilly day! What are you grateful for?
