Tag: be grateful

God, Gratitude

Thank You God

meghanewhite

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Thank You!

Two simple words that are quite powerful. Each morning when I wake up I say Thank you Lord before I do anything. I started doing this several years ago. I have to be intentional to say this to my Heavenly Father each day. Sometimes I forget to do this first thing, and I say it later. The goal is always to start my day thanking God.

Why do I do this? When I start my day with thanking God before anything else it puts things in perspective. No matter how I’m feeling, no matter what trial I am experiencing, God is bigger. It’s all about Him, not me. 

Let’s thank God together. 

Thank you Father God for today. It is a precious gift from you. No matter what I have to face, you are with me. I praise you and thank you. 

Thank you for Jesus.

Thank you for your word, the Bible.

Thank you for my sweet husband.

Thank you for my beautiful sons.

Thank you for grace.

Thank you for mercy.

Thank you for your amazing love.

Thank you for the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for the gift of prayer.

Thank you that I can walk.

Thank you for ears that hear.

Thank you for plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for a beautiful home to live in.

Thank you for flowers.

Thank you for beautiful sunrises.

Thank you for stunning sunsets.

Thank you that I live in safety.

Thank you for providing my every need.

Thank you for never giving up on me.

Thank you for true friends.

Thank you for the gift of family.

Thank you for white sandy beaches.

Thank you for fresh air to breathe.

Thank you for the kindness of strangers.

Thank you for summertime gardens.

Thank you for cool breezes.

Thank you for chubby baby feet.

Thank you for sweet baby smiles.

Thank you for the gift of life.

Thank you for every star.

Thank you for the moon.

Thank you for the miracle of Christmas.

Thank you for snow covered mountains.

Thank you for your comfort.

Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you for answering my prayers.

Thank you for sending Jesus to save the world.

Thank you for the hard times.

Thank you for the peace that only you can give.

Thank you for the gift of laughter.

Thank you for tears.

Thank you for hands.

Thank you for beautiful music.

Thank you for big fluffy clouds.

Thank you for blue skies.

Thank you that my home is in heaven.

Thank you that Jesus is preparing my heavenly home.

Thank you for your mighty hands that hold me.

Thank you that I’ve always got hope.

Thank you for so many lovely colors in the world.

Thank you for gray skies.

Thank you for your protection in the storm.

Thank you for second chances.

Thank you for forgiveness from all my sins because of Jesus.

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Ephesians 5:20, ESV 

What do you thank God for?

Faith, Trials, Uncategorized

Every Act of Kindness Is Big

meghanewhite

Last week I was shopping at my local Aldi. I got there when they opened in search of water and maybe some toilet paper. My expectations were low. There was no water or toilet paper to be found. I asked the manager when the next shipment was arriving.

“Later that morning”, he said. “I have two packages of toilet paper in the back. Do you want them?”

Absolutely!

Once he loaded the t.p. in my cart, I made sure to ask the two women near me if they needed any.  They both were O.K., and on the hunt for paper towels.

The manager then said to me, “Give me your cell number. I will hold water for you once the shipment arrives and I’ll text you when it’s ready.”

Say what? Kindess? You mean I don’t have to wrestle someone for water?

A few hours later I recieved a text from the store manager that my water was ready. It was a good thing he saved it for me. As soon as the water was put out, it was gone within minutes.

This act may seem small. In the grand scheme of things it is. In that moment, it was a big deal for me. God bless that kind manager. He didn’t have to do that. But, he did.

In God’s economy kindess matters. We are given opportunities every single day to make a difference. Sometimes they seem small, almost insignificant. God knows the big picture. One act of kindness can change someones day, even their entire outlook on life.

In the book of Acts we can see one very small verse, with one very simple act of kindness. Paul is being transported on a ship to Rome to appeal to Caeser. Read Acts to get the entire incredible story. Anyway, there’s a massive storm and ultimately they run the ship aground. Everyone bails out and gets to shore on the island of Malta.

“The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.” (Acts 28:2, NIV)

276 men had been at sea in a terrifying storm for two weeks. When they arrive on the shore of an unknown island they were met by kind islanders who had built a fire to warm them in the cold and rain. Sounds like no big deal. It’s one verse, and most of us are focused on every other part of this amazing story, that we miss the kindness of the islanders.

God used the islanders to bless these men, including Paul, after surviving a horrific storm.

God wants to use you today. It may seem small, but it’s not. We are looking for some big, grand gesture. And sometimes we get those chances to participate in the larger, flashier blessings. Those are very important too. I’m talking about the seemingly small daily things. The little things that can have a massive ripple effect for something larger.

Thanking the grocery store workers who are working tirelessly right now.

Giving another customer your package of toilet paper from your cart.

Checking on elderly friends and neighbors.

Praying for those infected with the virus and their families.

Praying for the doctors, nurses and all hospital staff who are putting themselves in harms way to save lives.

Thank your pastor who feels all the responsibility and stress to care for their hurting flock. Pray for them too!

The list is infinite.

God has opportunites set up just for you so He can use you. We get to be a part of what God is doing. He wants to use regular people like you and me to bless others. No act of kindness is too small or too big. If there is an oportunity to bless another human being, take it. Ask God to open your eyes and soften your heart to those who might need some help or a kind word. We can make a difference.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31, NIV)

Love you all,

Meghan

 

 

 

 

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok on Pexels.com

 

 

Faith, Family, Uncategorized

Wisdom from Grandma

meghanewhite

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For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

1 Timothy 6:7

 

Grandma kept everything. I found these in her kitchen cabinet when we packed up her house in California. At the time I thought they were neat because of the old advertising. Over the years I’ve realized something a little deeper, more significant about these old containers. It’s a lesson I learned from Grandma. She didn’t know she was teaching me, but she did. Elva was her name and she’s my husband’s sweet grandma from Arkansas.

Elva lived in the rural south during the Depression. Nothing was wasted or taken for granted. She used to tell us that as a little girl if it snowed in Arkansas they would make ice cream from the snow. My husband and I would laugh. It sounded silly to us. But now I get it. When you have very little, you use what you’ve got. Today if I bought some ice cream I didn’t like I would throw it out. That would have never happened during those Depression years. It would have been eaten up with joy.

I have had those spices in a large jar on my kitchen counter for years. I was cleaning it out the other day after an ant problem. Grandma came to my mind once again. She wouldn’t throw away something as precious as cooking spices. It got me thinking about contentment. Am I content with my stuff? Do I want more, and more? Do I need more?

This is the era of disposable electronics, and disposable everything. Get the newest phone, we need it. Get the newest car, we need it. Consume it, get bored with it, and get the latest version of said item. Buy, buy, buy, and buy some more stuff. The lines have been blurred of needs and wants. What does the Bible say about contentment?

“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:8, NIV)

Paul wrote these words that God gave him. Is food, shelter, and clothing enough for contentment? I think yes. At least I want to think yes. I wrestle with this concept. Is stuff bad? Well, no. We need to eat, and clothing for our bodies, and a roof over our heads. Beyond that, what do we really need? Not much. But what we want, that’s a whole different story. Wants aren’t bad. Stuff isn’t bad. Where does contentment lie in all that for the Christ Follower?

9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, NIV)

The verses about contentment and not holding on to our worldly possessions lead to a warning about loving money. We are given a very real warning about the desire to get rich. Some wandered from the faith, pursuing money instead of Christ. This is still happening today. More money, more stuff. Less contentment. The stuff becomes the pursuit. Jesus is taken out of the picture entirely. That’s a big problem for many reasons. One being, all that money and stuff doesn’t go to eternity with us. Eternity. Forever. Not a single thing we have here on earth leaves with us. (1 Timothy 6:7)

Wait a minute. Then why are we so caught up in buying the latest fill in the blank? We don’t take it with us. We use our stuff for the brief time we are here on this side of eternity. Should we be accumulating as much stuff as possible? The whole “you only live once” and “Hey, I’m not taking it with me anyway. I’m going to buy as much as I want, when I want, and enjoy it all now.” Buy the latest and greatest? No. That’s a dangerous path. We already have the warning about that.

What if we were content right now, today, with what we’ve got? Some of us have lots of nice, shiny, new things. Some of us have old, worn out things. We’ve got things we need and things we want. Many of us pray about these decisions. We can thank God for all He has given us and entrusted us with. We can also ask Him to meet our needs.

My pastor used to say, “There are two things we take to heaven. Our character and our relationships.” Words to live by.

We are not to live miserly and hoard our stuff. We are to be generous.

11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:16, NIV)

17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? (1 John 3:17, NIV)

What did I learn from Grandma? Be content with what you’ve got. It’s just stuff. We came into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. Be generous. Be grateful. Don’t pursue money and wealth. Pursue Jesus. Only He brings true contentment.

Love you all,

Meghan