Small Gratitudes
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thes. 5:18)
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
During a difficult and challenging few months, I feel the Lord teaching me truths I may not have truly learned otherwise. I believe I am learning deeper compassion, humility and trust. Oh, it is not easy at all! It is not easy because I cannot see why I am in a particular place nor where the road is going. I truly have no choice but to trust in Him and I recognize the first steps require being grateful for the small, everyday things that He gives. We surely give lip service to it. “Stop and smell the roses” and any number of social media memes telling us to do so. But what does that mean for us personally? I would love to retire and go to the beach every day or have the time to write and reflect. But circumstances require now that I go to a job I did not seek nor am I particularly excited about. Some days (most days) I want to give up on my dreams and expectations. But this tug and pull on my heartstrings each day forces me to look to the One who gives – each moment and each day of this life. I am learning (slowly) that now, in the meantime, I must focus on the small gifts of life. I will call them “small gratitudes.” Reread the above scripture verses. There are many others like them in scripture. Could it be that God simply wants us to focus on Him and Him alone? The Israelites learned that lesson many years ago as Moses led them into a desert that yielded nothing on its own. Their provision came from God alone. Some were grateful. Many were not. Let us take a lesson from that.
The Small Things
Each day I wake up and face a day that I did not envision a year ago. Everything in my life has changed and I am wrestling with why and how to understand it. But the one thing I do know, I must look to God – in each, small thing. I pull into my workplace and ask God to let this be a good day. Perhaps I’ll touch someone in a positive way or they will touch me (this has happened). I see beautiful parts of nature as I walk everyday at lunchtime (this has also happened). Perhaps a friend or family member will call or text at just the right moment (this has happened many times). The point is that God IS a big God – the One who created and controls the universe, but He can also give you and me a small respite to get us to the next moment until the picture of His will for us unfolds. It will be subtle for the most part and we can sure easily miss it. It is true that God showed up in His glory to the prophet, Daniel; Moses; Paul and a host of others in scripture but all were unable to withstand His presence in real life without being physically ill. That, in itself, should be a small gratitude. One day on the other side of this life, I will be able to approach the Throne of God Himself but I know I cannot withstand it now; especially when a simple worship song will bring me to my knees with sometimes unbearable emotion. So for now, I must recognize the King of universe in those small, everyday things and encounters.
Thankfulness
I believe God wants us to live our lives and simply be grateful for the small things as well as the big things and recognize them for what they are – gifts from Him. The apostle Paul praised God even as he was in prison for preaching God’s Word. Perhaps this is the calling from God we seek – to just praise Him in whatever we are doing and not worry about the next thing. We cannot go back to the past nor do we know the future. The present is all we truly have. Let us rejoice in it knowing His plans for us are better than we can imagine but sometimes we must be refined and humbled to do so. I think that is true thankfulness. We say it all the time but let us live it each moment – even if we do not care for where we are at the moment. The life changes I have endured have made me pay even closer attention to His words on my heart. I hope this inspires and encourages you to pray, read His Word and reach out to someone else who may need a kind word from you. That is the heart of God. What are your small gratitudes? Blessings.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)
Tonya Noren
May 23, 2021