Has God blessed you at least 10,000 times in your life? Absolutely. But how many of those 10,000 blessings can you list right now? Most of us can name ten or twenty quickly, but that is nowhere near 10,000. Yet imagine how anchored our faith would be if we made ourselves a long list.
Years ago, I read Ann Voskamp's best-seller 1,000 Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, where she explores the journey of giving thanks when life is hard. Part of her journey was making a list of one thousand gratitudes. After reading her book, I started my list. I made it to six hundred. Even though I did not finish the list, I learned two important lessons about gratitude, one uncomfortable and one positive.
First, I often dragged my feet when it came to adding to the list each day. I was often too busy back then to stop and write things down. It occurred to me that if I was too busy to record God's blessings, then how many of those blessings did I take for granted? Ouch.
But, the good news was that even though I did not reach one thousand, my spiritual sensitivity sharpened because I became more mindful of God's presence, power, and provision around me.
Can you relate to my observations? Do you tend to throw up a quick “Thanks, God!” but feel too busy to sit and truly immerse yourself in recounting God's faithfulness? How much deeper would our faith be if we dedicated ourselves to intentional time of giving thanks?
HOLIDAY CHALLENGE: Between now and New Year's Eve, start your list of 1,000 gratitudes. Imagine how precious it would be to intentionally notice how God is working in you and around you.
P.S. If you run out of gratitudes to list, look back through your phone and scroll through the past year. I promise you, God has shown up in so many ways you have already forgotten.
As I head to my sister’s home in Maryland for Thanksgiving this week, I will be reflecting on my own gratitude list. And when I think about all I am grateful for, the privilege of writing this Happy Monday devotion to you each week is near the top of my list. Thank you for hitting reply and sharing your thoughts and stories with me. I am grateful that God has connected us together.
Now enjoy this month's recap of Bold, Brave and Beautiful podcast episodes, my recent (in)courage article, a free prayer board download if you have not grabbed yours yet, and this month's fun audience poll.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
