The Gift Of Thankfulness
I absolutely love things that remind us to be thankful. There’s this song by Maverick City Music called A Million Little Miracles and a book called One Thousand Gifts that exemplify the need and wonder of thankfulness. If you haven't heard of either one, it is about counting your blessings. The more we thank Him, the more we see Him. Hence the description of the gifts being a thousand, or the miracles a million. When we are constantly in a place of gratitude it shines more light than we were capable of seeing beforehand. The gift literally keeps on giving.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:18
Can you imagine, something like giving thanks is the will of God for your life. Think about it, in times when we get stuck wondering “what am I supposed to be doing in this season?” one of those things, in the meantime, is giving thanks. Showing gratitude for things big and small really does highlight what God is doing and has done in your life. I liken it to a flashlight in a dark room, guiding my way around. You never notice what is a necessity until you have a power outage. Using that “flashlight” helps you appreciate the candles you have but never use, or the food you have that doesn't need to be cooked, or the ability to charge your phone when your power is back on. However, let's be proactive when it comes to thankfulness instead of using it as a last option.
I think about this often and it makes total sense why thankfulness would be key in our lives. As we can see in the Bible, many key figures thanked God often. Before Jesus gave the multitude fish and loaves of bread he blessed it and thanked God. When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians and split the Red Sea, Moses sang a song to the Lord in gratitude for bringing them through and defeating their enemy. There's a lot to be said about remembering God for what he has done. The story of the of the ten lepers is another example of the importance of thankfulness:
11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19
Can you believe it? Having leprosy miraculously healed and you just go to the city on your merry way. Leaving without a thought to even say thank you. Keep in mind, those who were leprous had to live outside the city because they were seen as unclean. So, here you are, healed and you don’t think once to say… thank you. Sound familiar? We get the car we wanted, the job we prayed for, the spouse, the healing, the whatever that was on our prayer list and we fail to be grateful for it. If you sit and think about it, there is a lot to be thankful for. Even if it's the bare minimum, like clothes on your back and shoes on your feet, that's more than what someone else might have. If you’re reading this blog, that means you have the technological means to do so. This would be the perfect time to insert scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and give thanks always.
I believe thankfulness is like fuel. The more we thank Him, the more we see Him working on our behalf. The more we do this, it keeps us from three things that cloud our vision and that's: 1) Discontentment 2) Complaint 3) Comparison. What if we took God at His word and did exactly what He said was His will for our lives? Would we find favor like the leper that returned to him? Would we see His provision a lot clearer? Would we be thankful for the things we prayed for like we did when we first got them .Or better yet, would we be pleasing God? The answer is yes!
So, maybe your million little miracles is just a “thank you” away. The gas in your car, the job you have, the shelter you have when it's raining outside. May your first words be filled with thankfulness.
Until Next Time,
Jess