Gratitude

Tis the week for thankful thoughts, right?

I was scheduled to teach Sunday School this past Sunday, and though I thought about it all week and tried to come up with a topic...I came up blank. Saturday night, I sat in my bed, utterly exhausted from my week, and in tears because I missed the intimacy with the Lord that I had last year.

I picked up Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts to read the next chapter but really just wanted to put it away and cry myself to sleep.

I got into the chapter a bit and read these words: "Oh yes, I know you, the busyness of your life leaving little room for the source of your life."

Gulp.

"Thanksgiving makes time."

Gulp again.

I underlined sentence after sentence in the chapter...and cried some more because it was so timely, and God is just like that. He's faithful to bring the right words at the right time.

Sunday morning I made my way to church with Ann's book in one hand and a stack of blank papers in the other. After we talked about busyness and the importance of naming blessings and claiming them as God's love-gifts, I shared this idea I read on Becky Higgins' blog: to make a grateful poster.

Then I passed out the blank papers and asked them all to write GRATEFUL in the middle - and surround it with things they're grateful for.

My pastor was grateful for spell check because he couldn't remember how to spell grateful. :)

Maybe you don't have time this week to make a whole big poster like Becky did...but what about a list tucked in your Bible? Just a paper with a list of thanks?

Or a list of one thousand?

It's a thought...