Lately I've been in a complaining mood, and well, it's been hard not to complain about that too. And being honest this wonderful attitude developed out of too little time spent with God and too much time dwelling on what I do not have. To be content, it is essential to be thankful. There is no way around it. To be thankful, it is essential to take inventory of the blessings already in in storage, the pantry, and in daily use.
So this afternoon I spent some desperately needed time with my Jesus. It was a sweet time of reflecting on who He is and what He has done so I can come before such a Holy Holy Holy God. I picked up where I left off in my study of Who I am in Christ from what feels like eons ago. And this is what I learned. . .
Today I was in Colossians 2 focused on verse 7 but without the context, the meaning is lost. "Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." There's that word, but what am I to be thankful for? Let's see for starters that Christ came in human form (9), that He fills me (10) that I have been transformed and given new life in Him (11-12), that God has made me dead to my sins, canceled the debt and nailed it along with His Son to the cross(13-14). . .but yeah nothing there to be thankful for, right?
I had to stop; I was utterly convicted. I'm upset about having to pay off my school loans, but my eternal debt has been paid in full by a God who had no reason to even look my direction, and to this day I give Him no reason to stop and say, Wow, that girl really deserves something else. What an IDIOT i am.
So after this revelation, I moved on to the next section of my time with God. At the beginning of this year I was semi-faithful to the great idea I had of keeping a thankfulness journal, so I pulled it out today. I thought writing some things I am thankful for today would help put things into perspective. I sat down to write. . . and I was like, hmmm, maybe I should go over what I already wrote (I'm trying not to repeat anything).
I read it out loud, directly telling God (so I could hear it myself) what I was thankful for that He has given to me. . . I think that I will share some of them with you today. . . I promise I won't share them all and I'll try to be brief.
I am thankful for. . .
Air- without this I could not breathe and therefore survive. It is mixed with just the right amount of each element to sustain life.
My brain- Though my thoughts can often get me into trouble, this organ allows me to have a choice, to imagine, to dream, to know God more, and it controls my body so I can move and controls things (like breathing, heart etc.) that I thankfully do not need to focus on doing for myself.
Forgiveness- From God, it means life; from others it shows love. Both are necessary for a good life full of relationships. Also, I am thankful for the ability to show it.
Grace- God gives grace so freely. It sustains me and comforts me, yet it should never be taken for granted
Mercy- Grace's counterpart- I love that this is new every morning, and without God's mercy my life would be painfully meaningless.
Friend #1- She pushes me to be a better teacher, thinker, and Christ-follower. She spends time with me and keeps me busy so I don't dwell on my parents' divorce.
Friend #2- Her quiet nature often convicts me to be a better listener. She has been there for me and with me through so much of my life.
My kid at school-He shows me how You love me and gives me a wonderful illustration so I can understand our relationship more.
I think you get the point. I have much to be thankful for. . .and well, so do you, dear reader, so do you. It's amazing how quick we are to forget the good and to cling to the bad. I suppose this is one reason God refers to us a sheep.
Well I still have much to digest, but I thought I would share some food (for thought) with you today.
