“Giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—always and for everything.” Eph. 5:20
Heavenly Father, of this I am sure. Giving thanks often precedes feeling grateful. When I’m mopey, sulky, in a slight funk or on the verge of a scowl—mindful gratitude is the best thing I can do. Not merely to cheer myself up, but to return to Gospel-sanity. No question—my thanks-worthy list is 100 times longer than my whine-worthy list.
Starting here: Abba, thank you for 100% forgiveness—for hiding my life in Christ, dressing me in Jesus’ righteousness, and making me your child. You can’t love me more, and you shan’t love me less. I don’t need more, though you give so much more. Thank you for sovereignly ruling over all things all the time, no exceptions. Thank you for steadfastly working in all things for my good all the time, no exceptions.
Continuing here: Thank you for guaranteeing evil and injustice, Alzheimer’s and cancer, meanness and hurting all have expiration dates—along with imperfect holiday gatherings and still-hard-to-understand-relational dynamics.
Continuing here: Thank you for 52 years of grace-needing-and-grace-receiving marriage to Darlene—for two awesome kids + their spouses, and 4 spectacular “grands” + their pets. Thank you for friends with whom I can fly fish and chit chat, marinate in the Gospel and serve Jesus in my 70’s—be somber and silly, at our worse and at our best, laugh loudly and repent easily.
Continuing here: Thank you for your promise to complete your work in us, and for Jesus’ commitment to finish making all things new. Thank you “it” won’t always hurt this bad—no matter our “it” or “its.” Father, thank you that Jesus is coming soon, and that we’re almost Home. So Very Amen
