It's very difficult for me to be deeply depressed and grateful at the same time. Be grateful all the time, for anything and everything. For family. For laughs. For music... For the fact that God would so love us, walking piles of dust that we are, and would even want to be with us forever. -Brant Hansen
Lately, I've been inundated with messages telling me to be more grateful; to practice gratitude. Books I'm reading, blog posts, my social media. All telling me to practice gratitude. And while I like to think of myself as a pretty grateful person, I realize it's very easy to take everyday things for granted. So, here's my list of things I'm thankful for:
My morning coffee
A car that runs
A roof over my head
My mom on speed dial
My two kitty cats
The "welcome home" hug I get from my husband every day
A job where I get to tell people about Jesus
Theological conversations with my dad
Jesus dying for my sins
The God of the universe wants me to pray to Him; to ask Him for things and tell Him about my struggles
The books on my shelf written by fellow Christians a lot smarter than me
Living in a country where I can legally own a Bible
And I could go on and on. The point is these are all things I experience every day that I often take for granted. My challenge to you: make your own list. Write it out. Tape it up where you can see it often. We are so blessed, and we are so often so ignorant of that fact. Making a "gratitude list" reminds us of that fact. We remember how richly God has blessed us. And even when life is putting us through the wringer, we might just realize things aren't so bad after all.
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