Thankful

Thankful

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

WE’D HAD A BUSIER SCHEDULE than I had cared to admit when one spring things beyond our control brought all outside activities to a screeching halt. At first it was jarring. What would we do? How would we fill our time? Events and outings we’d been planning were all canceled. We weren’t able to see our friends. Life felt a little sad and lonely. But as the days turned to weeks and then months, we began to find time for things we hadn’t previously had time for. We put together puzzles as a family, watched movies, and taught our kids cooking skills. We ordered out at least once a week, allowing the kids to choose their favorite places to purchase from for dinner.

But one of the biggest blessings during that season was our family’s ability to have daily devotions together. Each morning before the regular routine of the day would begin, we would sit in the living room and read a chapter of Scripture together. During those months we read many of the letters in the New Testament and all learned and grew in our faith and understanding of Scripture. Our kids asked deep, thought-provoking questions and we searched out answers as we all learned together. It was time that I had always hoped for but was never quite able to achieve on a consistent basis while our family’s schedule had been so busy. Now, it’s become routine. We move other activities around to make time for devotions.

It’s not always easy to be thankful in all circumstances. Often it takes our being intentional to notice what we can be thankful for in this season of life. We can miss the good things that are happening when we only focus on the hard. When we shift our thoughts to God and all that he has done (and believe he will do), we will find even small things to be thankful for in the middle of life’s hard times.

Lord, even in the midst of what is hard, give us eyes to see what we can still be thankful for, no matter how small. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Take time today to bring any concerns that have been weighing heavy on your heart and mind, and then look for what you are still thankful to God for in this season.