Gratitude

Someone gives something to a little kid, and then the parent says, “What do you say?” They’re trying to teach their child to say thank you—to show gratitude. Unfortunately, saying thank you often becomes being polite rather than being truly grateful. Living a life of gratitude for what you have requires intentional effort. It’s far too easy to think everything you have is just a given. Of course there’s going to be running water. Of course I’m going to sleep safely in my bed tonight. Of course I’m going to be surrounded by people who love me.

While most of these might be true for you, they aren’t true for everyone. There are people in this world who dream of living a life as blessed as yours. There are people who pray every day that there will be water available tomorrow. Gratitude is all about perspective. It is looking at your life and realizing many things that you think are normal are actually a huge blessing.

It is an exceedingly difficult lesson to live out, but it is important to remember where our hope comes from. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 says, “15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

If you never slow down to appreciate all that you have—whether it was given to you, or you earned it yourself—you can get lost in the endless pursuit of more. When we are grateful, we look to God and say, “you are enough for me, and everything else is a blessing.” We know that there are people in this world who go without their basic needs, and that adds perspective to the life we live now. Last year’s phone works just as well as next year’s phone, when we are grateful for having a phone at all.

Worship

How do you show your love for other people? You spend time with them. You talk to them. You listen to them. You recognize all the good things that they have brought into your life. This is not different than how we can treat God. A lot of times we think worship is only the singing we do when we are at church. But worship is so much more.

We worship God with our whole heart, mind, and spirit. This means we bow down before our king. We don’t do this because we are conquered. We do this because we are thankful. God has shown so much love to us that we just want to give some of that back to him in worship. God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. We get to join in the loop of adoration: God loves us, and we love God.

Hear these words of Psalm 95,
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

Worship is all about love. When we feel lost and desperate we can reach out and worship God because God is always with us. Through Jesus we receive salvation and connection. In worship we can pour out our whole heart to God. All our hopes and dreams. Our fears and insecurities. All our thanks and adoration. Worship is something that starts in your heart and doesn’t require anyone else around. Worshipping in private can be better and more freeing than worshipping with a large group.

Move it

Have you ever had a day when you literally did nothing? Maybe you walked to the bathroom or the kitchen, but for the most part you sat still in front of various screens? If it’s relaxing by choice, then by all means the occasional nothing day is okay. However, if this is a regularly occurring lifestyle, it might be time to examine what you’re doing.

God gave you a body, and from where science is today, you’ve only got the one. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6, our body is a temple for our spirit. He says, “19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” This chapter is mostly referring to the sexual immorality of the Corinthians, but I believe the message still stands for us today and can be applied more broadly.

As you treat temples with respect, you should treat your own body with respect. God does not care about how fit you look or how fast you can run. God wants you to be able to use the gift of your life. Don’t waste the gift of your youth (if you can still read this and move by choice, you’re still young). We can learn about God by getting up and moving around. Go for a walk. Play a game. Dance while no one is watching.

It is for freedom that Christ set us free. We are not called to be bogged down by shame. Moving a little bit today helps you move a little more tomorrow. We should rejoice when we get out there and can see one another. But that can never happen if we hide ourselves away. Use your gifts, it is through God’s compassion that we are able to live. Let us use what we have for the glory of God. It can all start with a walk around the block.

Confession

Have you ever messed up big time? It’s easy, the answer is yes. We all have. Making mistakes is just a part of life that will eventually find you. However, the choice comes in what you do next. Our gut reaction is to hide the problem and deny it for as long as possible. We think, “if no one knows what happens, I won’t have to face the consequence of my actions.”

When that stuff is out there, we can live in the fear that it’s only a matter of time before we get found out. We spend time worrying about getting caught. We feel the weight of lying to our friends and loved ones. God has not called you to bear the burden of guilt. God has called you to set yourself free through the act of confession.

In 1 John 1:7-9 we are reminded, “7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession requires us to live in community with God and other believers. We need people who will walk through the hard times with us in love. While we may need to face some real-world consequences for our actions, we can’t start the healing process until we have been open about our actions.

It is good judgment to be honest with those closest to us, even when we make mistakes. The other side of giving confession is receiving it. There will be times when people come to you to seek forgiveness, they will confess some wrong they’ve done. When we hear this confession, we should hope to lead them towards healing and (if safe and possible) reconciliation.

Simplify

What do you NEED to have access to every day to live your life? Food, water, shelter, and clothes are probably the most obvious things people need. But each of us probably have a few more things on the list if we’re honest. What else is on that list for you? Is it your phone? Your Starbucks order? Your comfort show? What are the things that you love to have but aren’t necessary for human survival.

For many people this list is way longer than it should be, the goal in life is to add more and more and more. I need to make more money so I can have the best stuff. I need the best stuff so people can know how important I am. What if you were called to simplify? As one artist put it, a song is not done when you can’t add anything else; a song is done when nothing else can be taken away. Time and again we get caught in the trap of MORE, and the things we own end up owning us.

This is not the life you were called to live. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 reminds us, “12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, … 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand…that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

Our goal should be to live in such a way that having God is enough to make us happy. According to one study nearly 90% of Americans look at their phone within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning. What if we liberated ourselves from the ropes that bind us? What single small change could have echoes of growth that reverberate through your life?