In my experience as a believer, I have found nothing more effective in helping me grow in my faith and intimacy with Christ than giving thanks. Not “knowing” thanks but actually giving it – to the living God, the Creator. And not just for my circumstances or the blessings that surround me but giving thanks for who I am today. Not in pride, but in recognition that I am God’s glorious workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) in progress, and for the blueprints of the future me that He already sees.
I mean giving thanks for where I am in my journey, even when I don’t exactly know where I am, and even if the next step is still unclear. Giving thanks for the Christ-like aspirations of my heart, even though I often fall short of them.
Giving thanks for the impact I’ve had, not just the dramatic displays, but also the quiet encouragements, the unseen kindnesses, the traces of grace I’ve left on others’ lives.
So today, why not give thanks for the story He’s writing in you? For the “you” He’s forming. For the grace that brought you here and is sufficient to carry you forward. What part of yourself can you thank God for today? Where do you see His fingerprints on your being, even in the unfinished chapters of your “becoming”?
“You” are included in the “everything” of giving thanks. Doing so is not self-congratulation; it is boasting in the Lord. It is taking stock of what it means for you to be one of His “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). It is admiring the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and saying, “This is His doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes” (Psalm 118:23).
And God can use it in a miraculous way to refresh your faith and enrich your relationship with Him.
Leave a Reply