I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although
they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took
my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I
who robbed. ~Matthew Henry
In Matthew Henry’s quote we find I Thessalonians 5:18 in action. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” He took circumstances that we would all consider to be negative and found a way to be thankful in spite of them.
His fourth item of gratitude really speaks to me. How often I fail to be grateful for the grace that brought salvation and leads me to walk in right paths.
After reading Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, I decided to begin my own list of gifts for 2013. Each day I write down at least five things for which I’m thankful. I know this will be a blessing for me to look back over in the coming years. It’s almost a journal of what’s going on in our lives as it includes everything from small, routine moments to specifically answered prayers.
I am deciding how to incorporate this idea into our daughters’ lives. I’d like to have a daily time when each girl can share at least one thing for which she’s thankful. Doing this at one of our mealtimes may be a natural choice.
I hope that this exercise will cultivate a gratefulness in our family that will stand strong no matter the circumstances!
It's wonderful to look and find blessings in the smallest ways 🙂 I read Ann's book and enjoyed it, but never started a list.
I am sure that your girls will learn so much with writing down what they are thankful for. Thankfulness keep our life into perceptive, we all need to remind ourselves of what is important.
All my jewelry was stolen a few weeks ago – while we were at church. This quote (told to me by my dad, who is our pastor) has been important to me in endeavoring to have the proper perspective in this experience.
Oh, my goodness – so sorry to hear about the loss of your jewelry! You are definitely in parallel circumstances to this quote, then. I hope there's a chance of your jewelry being recovered.
I started thankful journals with my children last November. It's a great way to help them – and me – remember our blessings and be thankful. 🙂
While I have my own thankful journal, I hadn't thought about having my girls start one. Thanks for sharing the idea!
This is such a nice idea. I've heard a lot about that book, but haven't read it. I think this would be a nice thing to start in our family too!