Yesterday I was tired upon waking, but I wanted to thank the Lord anyway. I thanked Him for the sleep I did have, for giving me the ability to traipse into the kitchen and make coffee, for a roof over my head, for the bed where I rested, the electricity that powers my lights, charges my electronics, for my husband who was still sleeping, for the car I would drive in traffic to a job I am grateful to have. I wasn’t feeling very thankful upon waking, but I thanked Him anyway. And then I began to think about the people who don’t have a roof over their heads, who don’t have a coffee pot, coffee, or even a kitchen; those who don’t have a job, have a car, have a bed. I have many blessings for which to be grateful.

I chose to take a page from yesterday’s post: “See if expressing gratitude to the Lord doesn’t ‘magnify’ Him in your eyes, increasing your depth perception of this One who knows your name, counts the hairs on your head, and manifests His love for you with one blessing after another. See if the practice of intentional gratitude doesn’t transport you even nearer to Him–not just where your faith can believe it but where your heart can sense it. Thanksgiving puts us in God’s living room. It paves the way to His presence.” I spent time talking with my husband while I emptied the dishwasher and prepared our protein shakes. I had all the ingredients; I have dishes; I can walk, I can bend down. Praise the Lord!

By the time I was in my car driving, I was praising the Lord in song. Then I got to work and read the Scripture of Thanksgiving for today’s post: “We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.” (Rev. 11:17) I had sung along with two songs on my drive that I thought on again. The first is “We Believe”. 

We believe in God the Father; We believe in Jesus Christ; We believe in the Holy Spirit; And He’s given us new life; We believe in the crucifixion; We believe that He conquered death; We believe in the resurrection; And He’s comin’ back again, we believe

What the Lord provides for me in my daily life is nothing in comparison to what He has done for my eternity. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) That glory will be revealed when Jesus Christ returns and begins His reign on earth. What will it be like to see Jesus? That reminded me of the song I sang along with on the radio, “I Can Only Imagine”. 

Surrounded by Your glory; What will my heart feel; Will I dance for you Jesus; Or in awe of You be still; Will I stand in your presence; Or to my knees will I fall; Will I sing hallelujah; Will I be able to speak at all; I can only imagine

And then I remembered a question posed in the book Choosing Gratitude, “Is the gratitude that flows out of your life as abounding as the grace that has flowed into your life?” Honestly upon waking yesterday it wasn’t. I was tired, not yet ready to think much less thank the Lord. But I began to thank Him for the things I take for granted in my daily life. I allowed my thoughts to remind me how blessed I truly am, even though I deserve none of it. And in those thoughts my heart “got it”, and I genuinely began to praise Him with a grateful heart. And what I am thankful for the most, is truly the best gift of grace I have ever received–my salvation. “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Ps. 106:1) Let’s make it our goal to have a heart that is as grateful toward God as the abounding grace He has poured into our life. As we begin to thank Him for the small things, our hearts will grow in gratitude.