Recently I was feeling a bit low about some things. As I folded my hands to pray, I felt as if God shoved into my mind a long list of blessings he had poured into my life—things, experiences, opportunities and people from my childhood, to my early adulthood, and to now.
It was as if God was saying, ‘Look at all this good stuff in your life. Get some perspective, man!’
Fair enough.
In light of all that, how can I not be thankful? And how can I not want to live in a way that shows that thankfulness?
We live in a me-first world of entitlement. If we’re not careful we can turn into a bunch of grown-up crybabies.
Yes, there are real hardships. I don’t diminish that. But there are also times when we simply need to remember the goodness of God, shake off the junk, take a higher view, and march forward in faith.
When you’re feeling low, think intentionally about the things, experiences, opportunities and people God has put into your life. Think about and remember them—intentionally. I realize that we all have various moments (or chapters) of hurt or pain. But what about that caring individual from when you were young, or an amazing opportunity you had in elementary or secondary school, or something you’ve been given, or a person or experience that has literally changed your life?
Puritan William Gurnall describes a connection between faith and hope: “Faith tells the soul what Christ has done and hope revives the soul with the news of what He will do.”* The God who HAS been good to you is the same God who WILL be good to you.
When you feel like you’re losing, all is not lost. When you feel like the world is against you, remember that Christ is not.
“The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9).
So think intentionally about the things, experiences, opportunities and people God has used to bless you.
Remember the goodness of God, shake off the junk, take a higher view, and march forward in faith.
Notes:
–*William Gurnall, ed. James S. Bell Jr., The Christian in Complete Armour (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), entry for Nov. 17.
The Up Devotional 