Are you a grateful person?

I think a lot of people I know would say they are grateful. 

I've been that person, and most of the time I would say yes in fact I am grateful. 

But lately I've found myself REALLY enjoying many moments/things/people for which I am thankful that God has blessed me with...my kids especially.  Seriously, I've had those "stop me in my tracks, smile real big and say a prayer of thanks to God" in several moments of being with my kiddos over the past several weeks - even in the middle of a store, shopping, which usually brings a lot more tension than joy with two tiny tots in tow who are prone to whine or beg for things at the drop of a hat! It's here in that moment when my daughter grabs two shampoo bottles off the shelf and sticks them to her cheeks and says, "look mom I'm being silly!" that I find myself laughing instead of being annoyed and that I agree and say "yes baby you are and I love you!" {Thank you Lord for this sweet blessing}

My kids are my daily "job" and like any other person who works, jobs can get a little routine, unlively (unless your an ER nurse, I can't imagine one unlively moment in your work day then!), mundane, or possibly even boring. 

Anyone? 

Ok maybe just me!  

So obviously, the reality is my kids aren't a job, they are blessings from The Lord whom I have been entrusted with to raise up and help lead them to being Little image bearers of Christ. But let's be honest folks, there are a lot of daily things I do that can get pretty mundane. So I often forget just how grateful I really should be. 

{This is not even me beginning to touch on how I have been saved from my sinfulness and raised up in Christ, although that in itself should stop me dead in my tracks quite often, prompting me to shout out, "thank you Lord!"}

So back to what I was saying, I feel like I've seen the Lord's graces in several ways lately, allowing me to be thankful.

truly thankful. 

As I mentioned above, two of those graces being my children, who constantly amaze me and allow me to see just a glimpse of so many things I have to be thankful for in life. It's in these moments I realize I wasn't necessarily "faking" being grateful before, but I wasn't always choosing to see the extent to which I have to be as a thankful person.

So I encourage you, if you are a person who says they're thankful, stop today and really relish in being thankful to God in Christ for all He has done and is currently doing. Obviously I highlighted my children in this post, but there are many, MANY other ways I am thankful and for which many of you are as well, my kiddos just happen to be the current avenue in which The Lord is revealing Himself to me in this area. In Scripture, there are SO many references that point me toward thankfulness: Psalm 92:1, Psalm 95:2, Romans 6:17-18, Philippians 4:6, 1 Thes. 5:18 just to name a few! Not to mention the Gospel message that God, in His goodness, sent Christ as the substitute for death in my place (where I deserved death because of my sin) to bear the weight of my sin and ultimately give me life with Him in Christ, it's nothing I can muster up in my own strength or by my own works or "goodness" (because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, which is why I need Christ, as savior from my own wretchedness!)

If you aren't really a thankful person, I hope you find some encouragement in these words and begin a journey of asking yourself, "what can I be thankful for today? And to Whom am I thankful?"

Thanks for tuning in, these thoughts go much deeper than my short blog could ever entail, but I hope you find encouragement through these words and take time to sit back, think, and be thankful today.