Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Last
year in my prayer journal I decided to find five things every day for which I
was thankful. I thought that I would run
out of things after a month or two, but I was surprised. Five things just popped into my mind every
morning as I wrote in my journal.
At
first it was my family, named one by one, then my friends, my blessings (which
were many and varied) and physical things. As the days unfolded, strange things
began to crop up in my mind, such as my character flaws. What
was this? How could I be thankful for
things that are wrong with me? As I thought about this, though, I realized
that seeing myself as others saw me gave me a completely different perspective
on things.
I
could see others around me in different ways: less judgmental and certainly with more
kindness and consideration. I began, and
I mean in tiny, little beginning steps, to see others as Jesus must see them.
Then a ray of understanding hit me. God was revealing me to myself and showing me
how he would like me to change!
I
began to thank God for the irritations, hurts, wounds, and sorrows that are part
of all our lives. If God allowed these
things to come into my life, he surely must have planned on using them some
way, either for my good or His Glory. This is a hard process and not at all one
that I have mastered. I absolutely do not mean that I have become expert at
this. I am learning day by day, in many
small ways. I am a work in progress and have
a long, long road ahead. But I rejoice in what is happening to me.
Loving Father, keep working to mold me more
and more in your likeness and help me to always rejoice, to talk to you
continually and to always thank you for what you are doing in me.
No comments:
Post a Comment