The Grateful.....Living

Psalm 95:2 -- "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song."

"One Thousand Gifts." The three guys and I were strolling around Barnes & Noble the other day when I saw this little unassuming book in the Christian Life section.  I was intrigued.  I couldn't help but pick it up and found out who Ann Voskamp was.  ...as it turns out....I'm very glad I did.

Wife, Mom, and Homeschool Teacher to a farming family, Ann inspired a quote that I would like to share.....as she's describing what looks to her to be slim pickin's from a crop field she says.."Whenever the wind sighed, the whole field just rattled skinny."  She later learned, after the combine's engine rolled to a stop...that the yield of beans was much greater than she had imagined and she talks much about thanks....about one thousand gifts.

The rest of the entry was equally inspiring.  My heart, however, clung to that one line. "Whenever the wind sighed, the whole field just rattled skinny."

I think there are so many times that make me FEEL like my field just rattles skinny.  That can apply to so many areas of my life...as I see it....am I rattling skinny for God?  Is our wallet rattling skinny when we have more month than income?  Is my physical state rattling skinny as I struggle with some chronic health issues?  And what about my outlook?....yep...it's definitely rattling skinny.  But, like Ann expressed so beautifully......perhaps my yield is, in fact, greater than I might see it.  She dared me......just like a friend dared her..... to list one thousand gifts, one thousand graces for which God has given me reason to be thankful.

THOSE words hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. Ya know, I never realized this....but more often than not, I think I'm a glass half empty person.  When I work on my sketching, or my writing, or create jewelry, or cook.......or teach the kids.....or do housework.....or balance our budget.......[you get the picture here, I could go on and on]....I find the things that, in my opinion, didn't go right.  My pencil lines are too thick, I wasn't expressive enough, my eye pin closures aren't tight enough.....etc. etc. etc.

Perhaps it's time to take the challenge. Count the many, many ways in which my life rattles fat with a fantastic harvest.

I love the book of Psalm for this [ok, I just plain love the book of Psalm, let's be honest]......because most of it was penned by a very human man named David. And there are a plethora of thanks oriented verses.  One of my favorites?  "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song."  It does NOT say .... let us come before Him when we feel that we have a reason to be thankful.  Let us sing when our hearts feel light and we're in a good mood.  It simply says BE THANKFUL.

I'm gonna' take that dare.  I dare YOU, too.  Look at the small things, the big things, the in between things and watch your field rattle fat.  ....ya know what?  I'm thankful for the internet blogging.  How cool is THAT? When I first started writing I used a pencil and a notebook.  Then I had this manual typewriter.....then an electric typewriter.....WOW....internet blogging!!!  SWEET!

Go on.......make your list.  EVERY day.  [get Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts"].  Let the wind sigh in your life.....let the wind HOWL in your life and watch that field of yours rattle round and robust.