Thankful Infused Living

This last year I learned to love Jesus by learning to be more thankful. My sanctification was often tested in challenging ways through the pandemic. There were many days where plans needed to be changed and my lack of ability to travel or meet with people in person was a challenge. My wife’s schedule as a public-school teacher was also difficult and impacted both of us, as well. Frustrations ran high! I was challenged in my attitude in life from multiple angles both personally and professionally. 

Paul starts out his epistle to the Colossians with an extended explanation of how he was praying for his brothers and sisters in their church. The focus was clear and concise. One portion of his words stands out to me in conjunction with a challenge one of our Appleton Alliance pastors gave to our church family this past Thanksgiving. He encouraged us to find a friend with whom we could share a daily list of three ways we were thankful or grateful before God. The challenge was to see how God would impact our thinking through this discipline over a period of time. 

Paul says, be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, clearly relating the two: joy and thankfulness. Infused in the passage is a picture of the foundational relationship we are blessed with in following Christ, knowing his forgiveness, and being a part of his family in community living together in this same inheritance. 

A good friend and I have been practicing this challenge for the last number of months, consistently working to find three angles daily on how we are thankful or grateful before God. In this midst of this discipline God’s Spirit has been writing a sense of joy into our hearts, even in difficult circumstances impacting both our families. We have found a great awareness of all that our Savior has done for us and continues to do in our lives. As I look back on my daily thankful lists, I see the reality of Jesus’ presence in my life permeating all the other kinds of things I am thankful for (family, my work, even the hardest circumstances). 

The more I have contemplated how I’m thankful to God through this season, the more I have been reminded of all that Christ has done in my life.

Key Quotation

The more I have contemplated how I’m thankful to God through this season, the more I have been reminded of all that Christ has done in my life.

Question

Take a few minutes to contemplate your thankfulness before God. What do you see of Jesus’ impact into your life?

Mark Byrom, Appleton Alliance Church in Wisconsin