Gratitude
“The sun comes up. It’s a new day dawning…10,000 reasons for my heart to find”
It’s the beginning of sunrise in my part of the world. It’s that moment when light begins to emerge from the darkness of night. Contemplating how Jesus was sent into a world full of darkness to be the light, my heart suddenly felt overwhelmed with Thanksgiving and gratitude.
This year has been difficult. But parts of this year have been good, and I feel abundantly blessed. My mind keeps returning to Psalm 100. The title of this Psalm is called a Psalm of Thanksgiving. There are no stipulations put on the circumstances or situations we might be going through, but a direct statement of fact.
As we get ready to sit around the table, enjoying the fellowship of our family & friends, take a moment to silently reflect on the things that you are grateful for. Even those hard things. How is the Lord walking with you through those things? Can you find one thing to be grateful for?
In January, my beloved dad died. April found me closing down my Piano Studio of almost 7 years with students and their families that had become incredibly dear to my heart. In May, my husband and I made a cross-country move to a new location where we knew no one.
Amidst the grief of these major changes, God has poured out his comfort on my heart, and while I still miss my dad, I’m reminded of all of the good times we shared and how he loved his family dearly and taught us well. My piano students have grown over the last 7 months. What joy to get to see some of them just less than 2 weeks ago! I can’t tell you what that did for my heart! In our move to the desert, it has become a wellspring of life to me! The new friendships, the renewed relationship with my husband, and the new adventures that I have experienced have given me a full heart!
Would you take time today to share a blessing, a word of gratitude, or a memory of Thanksgiving from this past year? My prayer is that we will be encouraged by one another’s grateful, thankful, and blessed messages.
