Thankfulness.
Joy.
Blessings.
Gifts.
One day, I picked up Ann Voskamp’s book 1000 Gifts. Amazon recommended it to me, so I gave it a try. (I’m going to make a blog post soon about all the fantastic books I’m reading/have read recently, and this will be one of them. But for now, I just want to tell you about it briefly, because it’s critical for the rest of this entry.)
Ann Voskamp’s whole thing is counting the gifts that God gives. It’s thanksgiving for the seemingly small- and discovering that joy is possible. Giving thanks in all things (good, bad, ugly) teaches contentment in all things. Content in all things= joy.
Yes, I was wanting some of that joy. So I gave her Joy Dare a try. You count three gifts everyday for a year and at the end, you have 1000 gifts. (Then you keep counting!) And honestly, it’s March and I am still doing the dare. In the giving thanks for all things, it becomes like an instinct. It’s all about trying to change the response from complaining to thanking.
Someone asked me about joy last night. I told them really briefly about this. How I’m trying it, it’s changing the way I think, etc.
Then the challenge came.
Today, maybe instead of complaining at anything and everything, we could just give a little thanks?
That was my facebook status this morning. I’d like to say that, after making this status, everything was peachy and I felt like I was on cloud nine all day. But I wasn’t. I am, however, still smiling after a crazy weird day and it’s all because of Him and the giving of thanks.
I literally get in my car and turn the corner, where a terribly long traffic light is. It was red. And the train was coming, which means I’d have to sit there for over two minutes waiting. Yup, I timed it before. I roll my eyes and STOP. Give thanks, Vanessa.
God, thank you that this light is red. I guess if this light wasn’t here I’d probably get in an accident. Okay, red light, I’ll give thanks for you too.
No lie, the light turned green. I was able to turn before the train came.
I laughed out loud in the car.
A gift.
I get to work and Sister Stephanie had bought me a donut. Gift.
Silly playing with preschoolers. Gift.
Laughter. Gift.
A job. Gift.
After work, I go to college. I had a test today. I’m on the road and I see a sign: Detour. There was an accident on the ramp that I use to get on the highway. A huge tractor trailer was practically upside down.
I sighed heavy. Now I have to go another way. I don’t know if I’ll make it in time for class. And this is the teacher who is always grumpy and refuses to let the late kids come into class. Super.
But I STOPPED. Deep breath. Give thanks.
God, thank you that I wasn’t in that accident. Thank you that I know another way to get to school. Thank you that I am actually remembering to give thanks right now. Okay, detour, I can give thanks for you too.
I prayed that God protected whoever was in that accident and I just kept driving. And, just so you know, I actually got to school 5 minutes earlier than I usually do. Gift. Give thanks.
Test. Another opportunity to complain or give thanks. This teacher’s tests are so hard. And there was a question I wasn’t too sure about. And of course, it’s a duplicate question. So if I get it wrong once, I’m gonna get it wrong the second time too.
Great, I thought to myself. So I put down my gut-answer for both and said a little thanks in my head. After class, I checked in my notes and *ding ding ding* I got it right! Gift. Give thanks.
My mom said she saw some bathing suits at Marshall’s. So after class, I went. Well, me and bathing suits aren’t the best of friends. I looked in the mirror and wanted to complain. Surprisingly, this was the hardest of all to give thanks for. It doesn’t look right. It’s too big here, to small here, that looks so bad, that’s more than I want to spend, etc. And I just complain complain complain.
You know what I’m learning though?
Complaining doesn’t change anything.
It doesn’t change the situation and it doesn’t change the attitude and it doesn’t make this spirit of heaviness go away. It doesn’t bring joy.
Here’s the secret: Thanks is what changes things.
Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you
who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
~1 Thessalonians 5:18
Now, thanks can’t always change the situation.
I cannot give so much thanks that suddenly the bathing suits all fit me and look perfect. I cannot give thanks and that car accident be undone. BUT, I can give thanks, and my attitude can change. My perspective can change.
See, thanks is changing me.
Maybe you too, could give a little thanks?
I can’t promise it’ll make you hit only green lights and look like an Olympic gymnast, but I can promise that it will change you. It will change your perspective.
Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me.
He doesn’t care what happens to me”?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out....”
~Isaiah 40:27-28
