Today I Will Be Thankful

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.  –James 1:17

Wouldn’t it be great if we woke up every morning with a spirit of gratitude and appreciation for all of the gifts we’ve been blessed with?  Grateful for the gift of today; another opportunity to make a difference in the lives around us?   Yet, there are days, weeks, even seasons that it feels as if simply to survive is a victory, and it’s difficult to see the gifts that God has blessed us with.

Have you had an ordinary or even difficult day that was intersected by someone’s kindness or the beauty of God’s creation?  The genuine smile of a stranger, the timely, encouraging text or card sent to you, the police officer who pulled you over and showed you mercy, the peaceful stillness of trees covered in frost.  When we slow down enough to be aware of God’s greatness, of His great love toward us, we can see that He uses creation to gift us daily.

In Psalm 118:24 King David writes This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  

We can learn from David as he makes this declaration over his day.  He has a spirit of gratitude and is saying “God gave me today!  I will enjoy it and be thankful for it!”  Our circumstances and our feelings change from day to day, but God’s merciful loving-kindness remains the same.

God called David a man after His own heart, even though, David went through some of life’s most challenging circumstances and was guilty of some of the most serious sins recorded in the Old Testament. His life was full of highs and lows and yet through them all, he sets an example of living a life with gratitude and thankfulness.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. –Psalm 136:1

Each new day gives us opportunity to find God in the little gifts.  May we be aware of the ways that He speaks to us, through His creation, and to live with such grace toward others that even those who don’t yet know Jesus, see the light of His love in us.

QUESTION:  What is one of the little gifts that I tend to overlook, but I will choose to be grateful for today?

PRAYER: “God, open my eyes to the many gifts in my life that are from you, and help me to live with grace towards others”.