Gratitude is like my first trip to an ocean beach. What a different world it was from the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa where I grew up. Standing in awe of the rolling surf as the warm sand squeezed between my toes, I was speechless. The salt air was invigorating. Everywhere there were seashells of many sizes and colors and other flotsam and driftwood shapes to examine. Gulls glided and squawked close by making me think I could catch them in my bare hands, but never did. It was a world of discovery and fascination to a young boy experiencing it for the first time.
Each time I travel from my everyday existence to the shores of gratitude I find myself similarly overtaken. So many things to look at and discover, so much to ponder and learn, and such big new horizons to take in; it is breathtaking.
Today I am grateful for adversity because it makes me flex muscles of faith and hope. I am grateful for mystery because it makes me seek truth. I am grateful for transition because it keeps me fresh. I am grateful for every reminder I am not in control because it forces me to press into God.
I am grateful for true friends and loved ones who won’t let me pretend I’m not who I am. I am grateful for survival from my past which allows me to have the gift of today. I am grateful for every material blessing I enjoy along with the knowledge it all could vanish in the next storm.
I am grateful for love and grace given through Jesus Christ. Today, I join the anthem of the ages that shouts in the face of all that is troubling, strange and difficult, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!”
Oh, and I’m thankful for the corn fields, prairies and timberlands of Iowa and the beautiful wildlife I’ve enjoyed while sitting silently in a deer stand this Fall. God has joined me there.
