Friday, March 9, 2012

Grateful

I am sitting here at The Village Cafe, a lovely little coffee shop/art gallery/organic restaurant. It has been a home to me this year and particularly these last few weeks, as I have needed to steal away to a part of this community that is a little more diverse. Though I feel more passionate about college ministry than ever before, there are days when I just need to escape the predictable scenery of Aggieland. One of the best places to do this is the heart of downtown Bryan, which just happens to be a hop, skip, and a jump from my house.

I have just a couple thoughts to share this morning, with the hopes of a few more posts to come over the course of this spring break week.

As I have been journaling this morning, I have been overcome with gratitude, the feeling of which was immediately followed by guilt over how this is rarely my attitude. I am a fighter. I work hard. I overcome. But rarely am I truly grateful. Rarely do I sit down with my journal before me and hurry to jot down all the ways that I am thankful for Christ and what He is currently doing in my life. More often, it looks like, "Well, this is what I'm doing....This is what makes me anxious about this situation...This is how I need God to help me...Okay, now I'll write a few Scriptures and try to get some perspective." And then I close my journal.

Here's what God says about being grateful:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of Christ Jesus for you."

We wonder so often what God's will is.

This is it.

Give thanks.

Today, I'm grateful for The Village Cafe, the band All Sons and Daughters, the 11 girls that come to my house about once I week to study God's Word and share their stories, roommates who love Jesus and work with me on communicating well, the incredible people I work with at Breakaway, victory over sin through Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:56-57), and so much more.

What are you thankful for?