grateful grateful grateful
Imagine having a close friend whose birthday is coming up and has been talking too much about a specific gift they want. You, being the good friend that you are, decide to make their dream come true! You go through all the trouble of getting that specific gift, saving money (because they have ~expensive~ taste), and making sure it’s perfect like literally just for them. It’s finally their birthday! You get the best gift bow and do your best gift-wrapping! All of it! You finally get to give them the gift and all they do is say “Wow! Thank you!” and then just move on.
I don’t know about you, but I would start questioning a lot. I would begin doing a lot of quick maths: thinking of all the effort I put into getting the gift, thinking of how I had to jump on 2 buses and 1 uber to get to the store, thinking of how I could’ve used the money on other things, or even how I couldn’t sleep the night before because of how I excited to give my friend the gift of their dreams.
At the beginning of the month, I received some really exciting news! It’s funny because I talked to God concerning this thing the morning of, and then a few hours later I received my answer! I am always so amazed at how God answers prayer because it reminds me that He’s always listening.
I took some time to thank Him because I knew without Him in the mix, this thing would’ve been impossible. But that’s the God I serve. After I received the news, I couldn’t help but start thinking of all the logistics, but when I started to feel myself getting stressed, I had to bring myself back to the present and remind myself that I can, and should be excited and there’s nothing wrong with taking the time to do so. I realized that sometimes, we can get the answered prayer, but not take time to enjoy it and praise God for it. It’s like our society has trained us to always think about the next step for so long, then somewhere in middle, they want to tell you to “enjoy what’s right in front of you” as if it’s just that easy to unlearn.
I realized that this seeps into my relationship with God sometimes. I don’t take as much time to thank Him for the answered prayer, as much as I spent praying for that very thing. I don’t take enough time to just sit in His presence in awe of Him. It’s like once I receive one thing, and it’s just like *snaps* onto the next prayer item on the list. And I honestly wonder how it makes Him feel.
When I was thinking about this, I thought of how I would’ve felt if I didn’t receive the good news. I very likely would’ve been upset with God. I definitely would have talked to Him about it for quite some time and given Him a piece of my mind. It would have gone on for days. You know people say that God is not a genie or an ATM, and we can easily say “Yes that’s right!” without even realizing that we may treat Him like that in the most subtle ways. “Not me, I would NEVER.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves here. This is a safe space. Instead of trying to deny it immediately, think about the last time God gave you something you asked for and think about the last time He did not. How did you react both times? For how long were you in a state of gratitude or grief? How did you speak to Him during those times?
Think about it.
My hope for us is that we make sure to really give God the praise He is due! There are so many things that we have received that would simply be impossible without Him! He literally deserves and delights in our praise. Let us not just sing or read about how He deserves our gratitude, but let’s also remember to take time out and honor Him with it. Make or buy a blessings jar, begin a prayer journal, create a Blessings folder in your phone, and take time every week or month to reflect and praise Him for the answered prayers. Share of the great things God has done in your life, this is a way not only to show your gratitude to Him but also an amazing way to spread the knowledge of Him and let others know just how good God truly is.
Much love always,
Kumam 💛
Here are a few verses to share:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34, NIV).
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods (Psalm 95:2-3, NKJV).
Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude (Colossians 4:2 MSG)