Simply Thankful

I grew up as a kid pausing to give thanks prior to every meal. It was a ritual that my parents taught us at a very early age. It was a simple short gesture of thankful hearts. As I’ve gotten older and a lot of life has been lived, I find myself thanking the Lord a lot more often than just at meal time.

I heard a great quote recently that said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” (By Marcus Tullius Cicero) I first heard this quote on a podcast called The Brian Buffini show. It has really stirred my heart. When I start to count my blessing from the Lord, it humbles me.

Asaph penned several of the Psalms. He started Psalm 75 out with gratitude. Check this out…

¹ We praise you, God,
    we praise you, for your Name is near;
    people tell of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1 NIV)

Almost a year ago, my youngest son fell 45 feet from a tree he had been climbing just for fun. He was at a friend’s house hanging out. He was airlifted to Atlanta Medical because they couldn’t keep him conscious and they had no idea what all was going on inside his body. He walked out of the hospital on his own less than 24 hours later. He had lost some teeth, had a busted lip and hurt his back but he was alive and he wasn’t paralyzed. After getting back into town, we dropped of his prescriptions at the pharmacy. We had some time to kill while waiting for the prescriptions, so we went to find the tree. It was a sobering moment to look up at the place where he fell from and see where he landed. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. My heart was full of gratitude and I was changed that day. I’m not sure how some kids get a second chance while others don’t. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m learning to trust even more deeply the One Who had all the answers.

I want to have a grateful heart today and every day for all the Lord has done and is doing for me.

Pressing On!

Dwayne