Be Grateful

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It’s Friday - the weekend is nearly here, hooray! So far this week, we’ve covered honesty, which lights up the darkness and lets us live authentically; belovedness, which silences shame, keeping us from falling into the past; and trust in God, which roots us in present contentment amid hopes for more or fears for worse.

Today’s final topic is gratitude - an immensely powerful tool powered by humility and hope that reveals the divine in our everyday lives. Gratitude shifts our view from scarcity to abundance, reminding us that ‘every good and perfect gift is from above’*. It places value on both present realities and past blessings. Gratitude strengthens the soul, fuels our faith, and inevitably lifts our gaze towards God.

Picture receiving a mystery package through your front door. You eagerly tear it open to find a pair of brand-new shoes - and nice ones too! Curious, you find a note revealing that this gift is from a cherished friend. How would you respond? Maybe surprise at first (sometimes we doubt we’re worth the gift) but followed swiftly by overwhelming gratitude. You try on the shoes, and they fit perfectly! Crucially, what follows is the discovery that each step in these shoes becomes a reminder of the love and generosity of your friend.

SO HOW MUCH MORE should we begin to see the goodness of life itself - the ability to dream, laugh, run, cry; the sound of birdsong, a friend’s hug, even the breath in our lungs - as a gift from our heavenly Father out of his extravagant love? 

How much more should we begin to ‘rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’?

How much more should we begin to discover - all is grace.

The present moment is a gift waiting to be unwrapped - don’t leave it sitting on the doorstep!

Prayer - Father, reveal to me that life is an undeserved gift of grace and help me to rejoice in the present through continuous gratitude.

* James 1:17