“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” (Psalm 103:3-5 NLT)
Each morning as I prepare to eat my cheerios, I pause to look around at all the beauty that surrounds me because of the grace, mercy, and kindness of my heavenly Father. And I see not only the material blessings with which He has so freely provided, but my beautiful bride, my precious children and granddaughter, and the freedoms I enjoy in this country that I often take for granted.
Gratitude is a gift we too often leave unopened, but because of our negligence we soon become enmeshed in the small world of ourselves. Selfishness is not only the sin of the world “out there,” but of each of us who forget God’s abundant blessings to us.
When we focus on ourselves and our “little” needs, we lose the gift of seeing the much larger picture of all that God is doing, not only for us, but around us, in us, and through us. And even as I write I’m reminded of what it was like to have a child with cancer, to lose a loved one or pet, or to be penniless and out of work.
These and many other serious concerns are far from “little” to us, but when we limit our frame of reference to what’s happening to us or in us, we lose a valuable opportunity to realize life is not about us, thus, we forfeit the privilege of being grateful.
James reminds us in chapter 1:2: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” To express gratitude is to express joy for being in a love relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote: “The vast majority of mankind never gives a thought of gratitude towards God for all His care and blessings.” Gratitude and joy should be closely aligned in the heart of a Jesus follower.
It’s to remember our place in the heart of the Father and to joyfully sing praises to the only One who truly deserves it. If you struggle with gratitude or with having a joyful heart in times of affliction, gaze at the Cross and ponder its magnificence. The world will never know the full extent of what Jesus accomplished through His selfless sacrifice for the sin of all mankind.
We forget how valuable our little toe is until we jam it into a corner of the dresser, then there’s no part of our body to which we give more attention. Why should conflict and pain give rise to gratitude? Because they reveal things for which we should have been thankful all along but have been too preoccupied with other things to notice.
Counting our blessings is an intentional practice that will lead to unexpected, but much appreciated results. When we intentionally and consistently express gratitude to someone for a job well done, what happens? It not only makes them feel good in the moment, but it also gives them increased incentive to keep doing a great job. It illustrates very vividly that someone has taken notice of their good work.
But what happens if that gratitude is never expressed? It robs us of an opportunity to bless someone else, but it also robs us of the good feeling we have in thinking of someone other than ourselves. Blessings are abundant to the one whose spirit is tuned to see them, and the rewards for expressing gratitude for them are out of this world!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 