Since it is the day before THANKSgiving, I wanted to speak on being thankful! So often I realize that I am waiting for the next season to come in my life, and not focusing on the one I’m in. We, as broken impatient humans, always want what we can’t have, and once we have that “thing” we want the next one. We go through life rushing through the stages that we’re in because we think the next one must be so much better and it will bring us satisfaction and THEN we can thank God for getting us there. As children, we can’t wait to grow up (literally) and be able to ride the rollercoasters (that was me), then we can’t wait until we can drive, vote, drink, buy a car of our own, get married, have kids, and the list goes on. Our focus is on what’s going to happen, what God is going to bless us with in the future, instead of focusing on how he’s growing us and blessing us now, today, in the present.
I’ve been learning to focus on taking my life a day at a time with God, because if I blow through the days I have getting so excited for when I get to do fun things, I miss out on those days of being thankful to Jesus. Sometimes I find myself living Wednesday to Wednesday (Cru meeting to Cru meeting) because that’s when I get to see everyone, that’s when I get to sing worship songs to the Lord, and hear a great message. But honestly, I can experience that every day with Jesus if my focus isn’t on stress, or my to-do list, or the worries I have. If I focus on the present, I start to see the little things (and big things) that God is doing in my heart, which I otherwise would have missed. For a while it was like this (and still kinda is): Well I’m single so once I get a boyfriend, my life will be better; but then I remember when I did have a boyfriend, how all I wanted to do was get married, so that I could have a family, so that then all the rest of my life would fall into place. I was still rushing. Time already speeds by us so quickly, and if our heart is also racing ahead to find the next best thing, we will miss so much we could have given praises and thanksgiving to God for, and our perspective would be so different. I like creating little lists in my head of what I’m thankful for that day, even if they are simple little things.
Today I’m thankful for:
Snow! Haters gonna hate, but I love when it snows!!
The fact that my sore throat did not turn into a horrible cold. PTL.
My family is all together at home.
Fuzzy socks (my feet are always cold).
Rend Collective has a new Christmas album (that I haven’t heard yet because its not after thanksgiving, but I’m excited!).
All that my parents have blessed me with in my life. I’m just being reminded of that while being home.
How Jesus loves me.
Try it. Live today in the present, God is there right now with you. Give thanks to Him.
“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” --Psalm 9:1
