“Thank you, God, BUT…!”
What if we went through life with a Heart continually penning gratitude with a comma and not period?
“God, Thank you for this job (,) but…!”
“God, Thank you for my spouse (,) but…!”
“God, Thank you for this house (,) but…!”
“God, Thank you for my child (,) but…!”
The comma robs God of the Glory that is truly due to Him. People often talk about the entitlement seen in this generation of children, but where do we think they got it from? Our children’s decisions today are a reflection of what was set into motion on yesterday year.
In the world, it is such a common occurrence depicted in our everyday life to actually keep your eyes affixed on the next. We are in a time where novelties wear off rapidly. The latest shoe comes out- You purchase it and when the next drops, that becomes the got to have. Couples can go from praying for a child, and once they are blessed with the addition, the next child is on their minds.
As Believers, “What if’s…” are life lines for the heart when embraced correctly. If God does not do it, He is still abundantly deserving of our adoration and love. The “What if’s…” allow us to bypass manipulative prayers. We can think we are praying down fire and reaching the 3rd Heaven, but if we do not leave room for “What if’s…” our hope and expectation could be compromised.
It is also paramount that we do not go to the other extreme. That we lose our wonderment and expectation because of fear of our prayers not coming to pass. There is nothing more beautiful than to have our hope in tact and trusting God with the Authorship of our lives. Ephesians 3:17-20 so vividly shares, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
It is impossible to truly grasp the depths of God’s love for us and not move to the (.) over the (,) as we look to settle in our hearts His Plan. When Christ said, “It is finished.” There was nothing that needed to be added after that life-giving statement. Everything needed was in those three words.
So let’s try this again…
“God, Thank you for this job (.)”
“God, Thank you for my spouse (.)”
“God, Thank you for this house (.)”
“God, Thank you for my child (.)”
Graduating to the (.) over the (,) is a place of maturity that the Enemy cannot take away from us. True gratitude encompasses a heartfelt appreciation for the fact that God did not leave you there. He did not leave you in a victimized mentality, nor were you riddled with pessimism. That change of perspective set your Thankfulness on a trajectory to even bless those whom are around you! How we grow through life is a gift that continually gives to those who eat upon the fruit of our lives.
Divine Work & Pray:
Work:
Jot down in your journal a continuation of the aforementioned Thank You Statements to God and add on why you are thankful. All may not apply to you; therefore include some more.
Pray:
Father God as you said to Abraham, “Now I know…” May I too have those same words acclaimed to my life concerning You. May I live a life full of thanksgiving. May a grateful heart be my mission. Teach me what it means to carry a heart like Christ for others. Thank you for continuing to show yourself strong and mighty. It is our reasonable service to be a living sacrifice. May the (.)’s in our lives show how deeply content and grateful that we are in You! In Jesus Name. Amen.
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