Small

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NIV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We wake up every morning with breath in our lungs and with a beating heart.

We don’t know what the day will hold, but we make our coffee,

we (hopefully) read our Bibles, and we head to work.

A never ending cycle called life.

We slowly forget to look at the sunrise as we rush to our cars.

OThen we forget to look at the stars as we get home.

Days once laced with awe and wonder

become mundane and expected.

We used to see the beauty in life,

and now we are full of complaints.

We used to have prayers filled with thankfulness,

and now all that’s left are petitions.

We used to have compassion for people,

and now we don’t have time for them.

I’m fairly certain we’ve all been in this place.

You wake up one morning and look in the mirror,

not recognizing yourself. And what do you ask?

How did I get here?

We ask this because the road leading to this place is slippery and deceitful.

We are a shell of ourselves before we even know it.

So how do you get back?

How do you get excited about the life God has given you again?

It doesn’t matter who you are-

you have at least one thing to be grateful for,

and that is for Jesus Christ dying on the cross in your place.

That alone is enough to fill the rest of our days with gladness and thankfulness.

But the Creator of the universe is so good

that He’s even blessed us with the little things.

Waking us up every morning.

Never failing to make the sun rise.

Family. Friendships. Relationships.

We have the very words of God in the Bible!

That alone should make us dance and sing.

If you really looked at your life, you can find something to be thankful for.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

This, I believe, is that start to returning to a Godly, exciting life.

A joyful, thankful heart.

Hebrews 12:28–29 LEB

Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. For indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Prayer:

God, please remind me of Your goodness.

Remind me of everything You’ve done for me.

Forgive me for not being thankful and for having a heart often full of complaints. Grow me in gratefulness and joy. Amen.

Action:

Break out that dusty journal and fill the whole page with things you are thankful for!