It's the time of year when my Facebook feed is populated with lists of what my friends are thankful for. At the beginning of the month, most of the daily posts include the "heavy hitters" in the gratitude department: Jesus, spouses, jobs... I wonder what these individuals will be posting 25 days from now after exhausting their lists of the traditional things they're grateful for but still needing to post on the subject for a few more days!
Don't get me wrong - we have so many things to be grateful for that 28 days doesn't even begin to cover half of them. I'm simply saying that I look forward to reading the unique things my friends are grateful for as the month winds down and they've already listed the more obvious choices.
I wanted to post a little list of my own that only contains these nontraditional things. Of course I am very grateful for Jesus, my perfect-for-me partner, and the many other obvious blessings God has given me.... but here are some of the things I am thankful for that may not be as explicit.
In no particular order...
1. My memory. What makes people and moments significant is the ability our brains have to remember them. I'm so grateful our minds can catalog people and events, drawing connections between them and thinking about them at times other than the present.
2. Texting. Okay, it has a bad reputation and can disconnect us when we abuse it (i.e. texting one person while supposedly spending time with another), but I am convinced that I stay in contact with loved ones (and even casual friends) better because of the ability to quickly and conveniently communicate via text message. I am much more likely to text someone to check in than I am to call them, write them an email, or communicate in any other way.
3. Friends who are better at things than I am. As strange as it may sound, I like when people in my life are better at (significant) things than I am because it challenges me. I'm thinking right now of one friend who is extremely generous, another who is disciplined in spending time with the Lord, and a third girlfriend who is super flexible and willing to drop things to be available. I am challenged by each of these people and convinced that my character is improving simply by their influence on me.
4. Maturity. I'm thankful that God designed a natural maturity process. Things that were important to me at age 14 no longer matter (thank goodness!), and things I struggle with today will be conquered a few years from now. I'm thankful for the natural stages and progression of life and the shifting of priorities that accompanies it.
5. Living in a city where everything is relatively convenient. Atlanta has an international airport, a plethora of concert venues, national sporting teams, and most forms of entertainment one could reasonably seek. I grew up thinking this was true of all cities until I met friends in college who lived hours from the nearest airport, much less a baseball stadium. It's really fun to have so many conveniences (grocery stores every 1/2 a mile!) and luxuries around us, yet be able to hike or be on a lake within an hour as well.
Those are just a handful of things that I may not consciously think about every day but am very thankful for nonetheless. There are things to thank God for everywhere - flashy, obvious things and seemingly mundane things. It's fun and healthy to continue seeking them out and building our lists throughout the month of November!
Don't get me wrong - we have so many things to be grateful for that 28 days doesn't even begin to cover half of them. I'm simply saying that I look forward to reading the unique things my friends are grateful for as the month winds down and they've already listed the more obvious choices.
I wanted to post a little list of my own that only contains these nontraditional things. Of course I am very grateful for Jesus, my perfect-for-me partner, and the many other obvious blessings God has given me.... but here are some of the things I am thankful for that may not be as explicit.
In no particular order...
1. My memory. What makes people and moments significant is the ability our brains have to remember them. I'm so grateful our minds can catalog people and events, drawing connections between them and thinking about them at times other than the present.
2. Texting. Okay, it has a bad reputation and can disconnect us when we abuse it (i.e. texting one person while supposedly spending time with another), but I am convinced that I stay in contact with loved ones (and even casual friends) better because of the ability to quickly and conveniently communicate via text message. I am much more likely to text someone to check in than I am to call them, write them an email, or communicate in any other way.
3. Friends who are better at things than I am. As strange as it may sound, I like when people in my life are better at (significant) things than I am because it challenges me. I'm thinking right now of one friend who is extremely generous, another who is disciplined in spending time with the Lord, and a third girlfriend who is super flexible and willing to drop things to be available. I am challenged by each of these people and convinced that my character is improving simply by their influence on me.
4. Maturity. I'm thankful that God designed a natural maturity process. Things that were important to me at age 14 no longer matter (thank goodness!), and things I struggle with today will be conquered a few years from now. I'm thankful for the natural stages and progression of life and the shifting of priorities that accompanies it.
5. Living in a city where everything is relatively convenient. Atlanta has an international airport, a plethora of concert venues, national sporting teams, and most forms of entertainment one could reasonably seek. I grew up thinking this was true of all cities until I met friends in college who lived hours from the nearest airport, much less a baseball stadium. It's really fun to have so many conveniences (grocery stores every 1/2 a mile!) and luxuries around us, yet be able to hike or be on a lake within an hour as well.
Those are just a handful of things that I may not consciously think about every day but am very thankful for nonetheless. There are things to thank God for everywhere - flashy, obvious things and seemingly mundane things. It's fun and healthy to continue seeking them out and building our lists throughout the month of November!
Amen and amen. Love, T.
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