Gratitude Challenge: Days 11-20

November 11 -- I thank God for the pain of goodbyes, because they make me treasure my loved ones even more!

November 12 -- I thank God for plans that fall through and situations that seem like a disaster ... because God's plans are always better than my plans. Just as He has always been faithful in the past, He will continue to be faithful in the future!

November 13 -- I thank God that His standards of "what is good" don't have to line up with ours. He so often blesses us in ways that we do not understand and may even interpret as a very bad result. Still, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28)

November 14 -- I thank God for time spent in public transportation, because, in a sense, it slows down the pace of life. It takes so much longer to get things done, that I feel a sense of peace and rest in knowing that it can’t all be done in a day. This is actually a very nice change, compared to the frantic pace that life can sometimes take in the States.

November 15 -- I thank God when I am stuck behind slow people because it means that I am physically healthy enough to be faster than they are. There was a time when I wasn’t. There was a time when I would look longingly at the senior from my church and envy them as they seemed to bound up the stairs while I was hobbling. There was a time that I would have to sit and rest after walking for 1 minute. Praise God that I can now walk quickly! May I have grace and compassion with others who cannot.

November 16: Faith is not the belief that God will do what you WANT; It is the belief that God will do what is RIGHT! -- Max Lucado

November 17: I thank God that He allows us to make mistakes. While they are embarrassing and sometimes painful, they are also often some of the best lessons that I have learned.

November 18: I thank God for scars. (For more on this, see my post about "Scars and Thankfulness.")

November 19 -- I thank God for my weaknesses, because His strength is made perfect in my weakness. My weakness draws me close to Him, and that is the greatest gift that anyone can have – to see their need of God!

November 20 -- I thank God for my constantly dripping sink because the pitcher under it reminds me to water my plants. My plants are also thankful for this arrangement.

Gratitude Challenge: Days 1-10

This month, I have joined many in doing a "Thanksgiving Challenge."*  However, the theme that I specifically chose was: "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess. 5:18

Recently, the girls on the team and I have been studying complaining and contentment, and I have been convicted of how often I complain. Therefore, during this Thanksgiving season, I don’t want to stop at merely mentioning the readily apparent gifts for which it is so easy to be grateful (family, friends, the love of God, comforts, etc), but, rather, examine some areas where I could be tempted to complain and then thank God for even those things!


November 1: I thank God that He allows us to forget and heal from painful experiences. The pain is not always as acute, though it may still be there. (Two big things that I am thinking of specifically are physical pain, as from my surgeries a couple of years ago, as well as the emotional pain and fear from the earthquake in Mexico City a month and a half ago.)

November 2: I thank God for circumstances that try my patience, because I know that each one is an opportunity to trust Him and to grow in Christ-likeness!

November 3: I thank God for my tiny house, because it is so easy to clean!

November 4: I thank God when things break, because it reveals where my treasure lies. As when Jonah’s plant wilted and he threw a hissy fit, I see myself doing the same thing, so often. My heart is tied to earthly things, but when they break, it sheds light on my inordinate affections and gives me a chance to look to the things that really matter!

November 5: I thank God that the church is sometimes kinda messy, this side of Heaven. It reminds me that I fit right in, and that you don’t need to be perfect to come to God or be a part of His Bride. It is also, in a sense, a vehicle of sanctification, as the faults and weaknesses of others so often bring out our own faults and weaknesses and give us the perfect opportunity to surrender them to the Lord. I thank God that, working through hard seasons in the church makes the seasons of peace and unity that much sweeter.

November 6: I thank God when people are so different from me that I can barely understand them (...and sometimes they rub me the wrong way). It reminds me that I am not the plumb-line of the universe, and that people aren’t obligated to be like me. It humbles me to realize that their very differences are often what qualify them to do amazing things that I never could. That God’s Body -- and His world, in general -- work best when there is diversity. It is also helpful to remember that diversity doesn't undermine the concept of unity!

November 7: I thank God for how tired our bodies get at night, because it reminds me that, while He is infinite, I am finite. And I am reminded that He keeps the world running even when I sleep.  ;-) And, I love how He gives us rest which renews us.

November 8: I am thankful for people in my life who complain and grumble all the time, because they motivated me to dive into the study and pursuit of thankfulness! (Which was a real reality check to me to admit how BAD at this I really am, myself!)

November 9: I thank God that, even on the days when I am ungrateful, He is still gracious!! I recently heard a quote that went something like: "If your comforts tomorrow depended on your gratitude today, how much would you have left tomorrow?" What a convicting word!

Still, I praise God that my standing in Him depends entirely on Christ’s finished work, not my ability (or inability!!) to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel! Everything that I have is by His grace, not my merit!

November 10: I thank God for circumstances that “make me late” because it is a reminder that, in most cases, I am late because I didn’t plan well, not because fate conspired against me. ;-)  It is a reality check for me that I need to take responsibility for my actions, not blame others who were simply stand-still bystanders. It's also a reminder to check my attitude and see others as human beings with a vast array of life circumstances ... rather than obstacles in my way!

*These posts originally appeared on my Facebook, so if they seem familiar, maybe that is why!  ;-) 

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you."