Monday, January 11, 2016

Gratitude

I am reading The Quiet Place, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, for my morning devotions. Earlier this month I considered these words:

"Try, for example, to sustain persevering faith - without gratitude - and your faith will eventually forget the whole point of its faithfulness, hardening into a practice of religion that's hollow and ineffective.

Try being a person who exudes and exhibits Christian love - without gratitude - and over time your love will crash hard on the sharp rocks of disappointment and disillusionment.

Try being a person who sacrificially gives of yourself - without the offering being accompanied by gratitude - and you'll find every ounce of joy drained by a martyr complex.

True gratitude is not an incidental ingredient.....

It is one of the chief ways that God infuses joy and resilience into the daily struggle of life."

I often find my gratitude fleeting, if it is there at all. (I don't mean that I am ungrateful, just that I don't always think about all for which I have to be thankful.)

I recently picked up a book by Bill Hybels - "Too Busy Not to Pray" and though I have been too busy to crack it open, the title hasn't left my mind. I think this is similar. I go about my days filling my time with activity and find I am too busy for many things. Prayer and thankfulness on the run or worse, as an afterthought.

If gratitude is so crucial to joy, love and service - my relationship not religion- then I am too busy NOT to be thankful.

Years ago I read Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts but before that, I had joined Ann in numbering gifts. I admittedly was not very good at documenting my thankfulness though I did have a journal to do so. There were moments that I would think - "oh I should at that to my list" but I would forget to do it (or just be too busy to do so - I sense a theme here).

I am challenged that I need to pick this back up and will once again share my additions to my gratitude list (in the pattern Ann set on her Gratitude Mondays with her Gratitude Community).

151. The prompting to share encouraging meaningful words with a stranger.
152. Warm little arms that wrap themselves around me to snuggle.
153. A sweet little voice that responds to my endearment "I love you SO much"
154. A new chair that I love for its uniqueness.
155. A great deal on a new cabinet for my living room - finishing the look perfectly.
156. A renovation that increases my storage space with a fresh and clean look.
157. A husband that uses his time off to complete the renovations to that my year can continue with less stress.
158. Morning time with God. Peaceful time before anyone else awakens.
159. Great conversation around our Sunday lunchtime table sharing what we learned at church.
160. A very attentive and thoughtful waiter during a dinner date with my beloved.



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I am the very blessed wife of my best friend. The humble mother of five precious children. Walking a life-road that is more amazing than I could ever imagine.