One of my resolutions for this year is to do at least one post monthly where I list and subsequently thank God for the blessings that He has afforded me. Far too often it is easy for me to get caught up in the day to day affairs of life and not stop and realize that God is the One through whom all things were made possible. And so, today, I want to pause from the busy schedule that is life, and thank the Giver of all good and perfect gifts (James 1:17).
1: My amazing husband – Every single day I am reminded just how mindful my Heavenly Father is of me, because He has given me the most amazing husband in the entire world. Proverbs 31:10 speaks about how rare it is to find a virtuous wife, and I believe that the same could be true of a virtuous husband. Were Proverbs 31 written about a man, it would be describing my Robert. He is far too good for me, and has the heart of a true servant. If you read my Defining Moments post, you know how blessed I was that he entered my life when he did. Every moment since we got married could also be described as a defining moment, because with every day that passes he is helping to shape me into the person God wants me to be. He helps me so much, every single day, and I am so blessed by God to have him.
2: My beautiful home – This past month has been the first month where Robert and I have really been able to ‘entertain’ in our home (*I should add I am so thankful for this time of year, too, when things calm down!). Having people in our home is one of my favorite things, I’m pretty sure. It is so nice to be able to have a space for people to come and be a part of your life. Jesus exhorted those present when He delivered what has been dubbed the Sermon on the Mount not to worry about the externals of life, but to instead seek first the kingdom of God, and all the rest would be added to them (Mat. 6:25-34). I fully believe that God’s fingerprints were everywhere in the process of buying this home. The entire process was smooth, even when we went out of town for Polishing the Pulpit for a week during the closing process. It is so amazing to have a God who is active and present in your life, and hears your prayers and takes care of you. Recently, I was watching a documentary entitled “God of Wonders” on Netflix, and it amazed me all over again how huge our universe is and how great our God is, and how amazing it is that He is mindful of us. When little things, like houses and food and clothing, are taken care of by the Almighty Creator of the universe, it humbles you and leaves you in awe of His compassion and mercy. I am so thankful to my God for the blessing of this home I have been given.
3: Diet Coke. This may seem like the most trivial and ridiculous thing in the world to be thankful for, and yet it is so much more than Diet Coke. Like my last point suggested, does it not amaze you that God made things like taste buds and colors? God has given us life and breath and eternal life, and yet He has also given us the tiny pleasures of this sinful world. And so, while I am a huge fan of Diet Coke and Nutella, it all points back to my amazing God who has been mindful enough of His creation to create things that they enjoy. To give their temporary bodies ways of experiencing pleasure and taste and smell. God designed our bodies in such a beautiful way, and I am so thankful for the care He put into creating us. And so yes, I will be thankful for Diet Coke, because no thing is too small to not thank God for; and perhaps I thank God less for the little things, and so I need to be even more mindful of thanking Him for the little ‘Diet Cokes’ in my life.
Today, I urge you to join me in thinking about and thanking God for the blessings in your life, both big and small. The old adage rings true, “What if tomorrow you only had the things you thanked God for today”. Let us do our best to thank God for every single one of the blessings He’s given us, knowing that even if we listed a new one each day, we would never scratch the surface of thanking Him for all of them in a million lifetimes.
