Ten years ago if you told me that I would cheer when someone told me that they slept in their own bed all night I probably would have called you a liar, but lately I have cheered on more than one morning when I have heard those words from Riley. I don’t cheer for Bridget when she sleeps in her bed all night (I have tried to convince her to sleep on the couch some nights so I can have the bed all to myself; it hasn’t worked), but when Riley sleeps in his bed we make it a big deal. It is funny having a little boy running around the house because there are so many things that we take for granted that are major accomplishments for him. Simple everyday tasks for normal adults are major victories for our children.
This got me thinking about the small victories in all of our lives that we have taken for granted. It is really easy to get focused on all the bad things that are happening around us all the time, or to be haunted by some defeat or unfulfilled dream, and it only takes a moment to become dissatisfied with our present circumstances and to focus on something that seems better that is on the horizon. How many days have we wasted waiting for tomorrow to get here, hoping that it will be better than today?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in everything. There is always something for us to be thankful for, but many times those things get overshadowed by the giant things in our lives and we can’t see them.
I am not saying that we should all ignore the problems in our lives and dance around like princesses in a Disney movie, but I do want to encourage you to thank God for the little things. We shouldn’t wait until someone gets miraculously healed, or wait for some giant miracle to start thanking God. God is the source of all good and maybe we could be a little more grateful for all that He has given to us.
Thank you God for the sunrise this morning, for giving us arms so we can hug the people that we love. Thank you God for giving us water heaters so we can bathe and air conditioners that make it possible to stand Alabama in July. Thank you God for a new beginning, for giving us grace when we deserve wrath. Thank you for waking us up this morning and giving us food to eat and air to breathe and for giving us a purpose in this crazy world.
Let us take some time today to thank God for all He has done for us, for the amazing miracles and the small victories.
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