Ah to be back within the confines of normalcy. It feels disturbingly good to find myself wedged into my daily routine once again.
Wake up.
Go to the gym.
Go home.
Get kids on bus.
Drop child off at school.
Go to work.
Go home.
Pick up child from school.
Welcome kids from bus.
Do homework.
Play outside.
Eat dinner.
Sleep.
Rinse. Repeat.
Monday through Friday. Five days a week. The same thing over and over again. Is it any wonder why I sometimes struggle with GRATITUDE?
The more repetitious an exercise the more difficult it is to locate gratitude. It becomes second nature. You don’t think about it. If you don’t think about it, how can you possibly give thanks FOR it? Do I thank God every time I take a breath? Do I thank God every time I stand up? Do I thank God every time I see or hear or feel? No. Let’s take it to another level…
Do I thank God each morning when I see my wife? Do I thank God when I hear my children running throughout the house? Do I thank God for my house? Do I thank God for anything?
Do I?
Do I thank God for the opportunity to SERVE? Do I thank God for allowing me to see His work, His miracles, His blessings?
Do I?
I believe if you were to be honest, as I hope you would be (yes, I’m judging you right now…another shortcoming of mine), I dare say your answer would be eerily similar to my own. I may give thanks…over FOOD…but definitely don’t live a life of gratitude. Instead of saying ‘thank you’ I get tired and say ‘is this it?’ Because I’m tired my view is skewed, my perspective is all jacked up, my focus is narrowed. I lose sight of the BIG picture…BIG God = BIG picture. I can see my immediate surroundings, glancing over what I DO have, zeroing in on what I DON’T have, and instead of allowing my heart to produce gratitude and thanksgiving, I allow my selfishness to produce displeasure and pride.
Ever ask, “Is this it, God? Is this all you got for me? Is there really nothing more than this?”
For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.
2 Corinthians 9:12-13 GNT
I live my life as though I’m staring at one of those three-dimensional scramble pictures. I’m squinting my eyes, I’m crossing my eyes, I’m trying to look beyond the picture, I’m doing all kinds of things to SEE the image, but my FOCUS IS OFF. I can’t see it! I miss it every time! I don’t see the beauty, I miss the awe.
That’s me. This passage describes me. It describes my struggle. It so beautifully, so completely illustrates my tendency to look past what God is DOING because I’m always looking forward to what God COULD BE doing…like, “Hey God, I got this plan for you…for us…check it out, I think you’ll like it.”
I don’t see the needs of God’s people being met…
I miss out on the outpouring of gratitude to God…
I neglect to notice the glory given to God…
…simply because I refuse to acknowledge His work in my life, in our church, in and around me, through me, you, and I say REFUSE because when I choose to settle for displeasure, dissatisfaction, and ingratitude I refuse to see all God is doing. My heart grows hard. Calloused. Impenetrable.
I don’t want to miss out on His blessings anymore simply because they have a different look, a different taste, a different smell, a different feel than I anticipated. It’s not about me.
God, thank you for not giving up on me.
Wake up.
Go to the gym.
Go home.
Get kids on bus.
Drop child off at school.
Go to work.
Go home.
Pick up child from school.
Welcome kids from bus.
Do homework.
Play outside.
Eat dinner.
Sleep.
Rinse. Repeat.
Monday through Friday. Five days a week. The same thing over and over again. Is it any wonder why I sometimes struggle with GRATITUDE?
The more repetitious an exercise the more difficult it is to locate gratitude. It becomes second nature. You don’t think about it. If you don’t think about it, how can you possibly give thanks FOR it? Do I thank God every time I take a breath? Do I thank God every time I stand up? Do I thank God every time I see or hear or feel? No. Let’s take it to another level…
Do I thank God each morning when I see my wife? Do I thank God when I hear my children running throughout the house? Do I thank God for my house? Do I thank God for anything?
Do I?
Do I thank God for the opportunity to SERVE? Do I thank God for allowing me to see His work, His miracles, His blessings?
Do I?
I believe if you were to be honest, as I hope you would be (yes, I’m judging you right now…another shortcoming of mine), I dare say your answer would be eerily similar to my own. I may give thanks…over FOOD…but definitely don’t live a life of gratitude. Instead of saying ‘thank you’ I get tired and say ‘is this it?’ Because I’m tired my view is skewed, my perspective is all jacked up, my focus is narrowed. I lose sight of the BIG picture…BIG God = BIG picture. I can see my immediate surroundings, glancing over what I DO have, zeroing in on what I DON’T have, and instead of allowing my heart to produce gratitude and thanksgiving, I allow my selfishness to produce displeasure and pride.
Ever ask, “Is this it, God? Is this all you got for me? Is there really nothing more than this?”
For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.
2 Corinthians 9:12-13 GNT
I live my life as though I’m staring at one of those three-dimensional scramble pictures. I’m squinting my eyes, I’m crossing my eyes, I’m trying to look beyond the picture, I’m doing all kinds of things to SEE the image, but my FOCUS IS OFF. I can’t see it! I miss it every time! I don’t see the beauty, I miss the awe.
That’s me. This passage describes me. It describes my struggle. It so beautifully, so completely illustrates my tendency to look past what God is DOING because I’m always looking forward to what God COULD BE doing…like, “Hey God, I got this plan for you…for us…check it out, I think you’ll like it.”
I don’t see the needs of God’s people being met…
I miss out on the outpouring of gratitude to God…
I neglect to notice the glory given to God…
…simply because I refuse to acknowledge His work in my life, in our church, in and around me, through me, you, and I say REFUSE because when I choose to settle for displeasure, dissatisfaction, and ingratitude I refuse to see all God is doing. My heart grows hard. Calloused. Impenetrable.
I don’t want to miss out on His blessings anymore simply because they have a different look, a different taste, a different smell, a different feel than I anticipated. It’s not about me.
God, thank you for not giving up on me.
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