Walking with Jesus - Living Lives of Gratitude!
Count your blessings… name them one by one… Count your many blessings see what God has done…
As a young child, I remember my grandmother and my mother singing this catchy little tune. I liked this tune as child because it was a catchy tune… but as an adult I like this song for its words because it gives some solid words of wisdom. The wisdom of counting our blessings and being grateful for the abundant blessings each one of us have received.
When I was on internship, my supervisor loved to keep me on my toes and see if I could think on the spot. Wednesday night children’s worship was no exception. I would get to church in the evening and then he would give me a verse to teach to the children in a way they could understand. Pastor Rob thought he had me stumped on one particular Wednesday night with John 10:10. I (Jesus) came that you (all of us) may have life and have it abundantly.
The children came for worship and we talked about the word abundant. IT was the day after Halloween and we talked about how much candy they had gotten trick-o-treating the night before… did they get a little or did the bags overflow abundantly. We showed abundantly with our arms open wide and yelling — “Abundantly!”
God’s love for us overflows ABUNDANTLY! But so often instead of living aware of this abundance we get sucked into a scarcity mentality promoted by the news, social media, and commercials. We become painfully aware of what we don't have… and then begin to cling to what we have… that is not the life that Jesus has come to give us…
Walking with Jesus - living lives abundantly — involves living lives of GRATITUDE. In the book One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp asks the question “How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark? Voskamp discovers and shares that the practice of gratitude — waking up each day practicing an awareness to God’s everyday blessings. She found that in giving thanks for the life she already had, she found the life she’d always wanted.
So, for the month of November, I invite you in practicing GRATITUDE this month.
1) If you haven’t read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp - read it. If you’ve read it… read it again!
2) Make time during the day… to keep a gratitude list… Write down 2-3 things you are grateful for… even if (especially if) life is challenging right now.
3) As you think about your financial giving this year, consider the many blessings you have received and how you can give thanks to God by through your offerings at church to God and God’s work. Prayerfully consider increasing your giving by a 1% of your income or consider increasing it by a cup a coffee or a meal eaten out a week.
4) As you come to worship in November… be ready to offer a prayer of gratitude at the “GRATITUDE box”. It will be easy… I promise… just be thinking of something you are thankful for.
5) Finally, when someone asks you, “How are you?” instead of responding with an automatic “I am fine” — respond with “I’m grateful” and if someone responds with “I’m grateful” to you — take a moment for a personal connection and ask “What are you especially grateful for today?”
I am grateful for the parishioner that responded to me Sunday with “I’m grateful”
- Thank you for reminding me of the many blessing in my life.
Let us together Walk with Jesus! Living lives of Gratitude. Let’s Count Our Blessings!
Practicing Gratitude!
Pastor Krista
