Today is a new day. I am thankful to be alive. Thankful for the opportunity to spread God’s word, to love as he loved me, to give of myself.
I am thankful for the air. It is filled with smoke and it parches my throat but it sustains my life and I’m thankful for it.
I’m thankful for access to water, to food, to a nice place to rest my head at night, for shelter.
I am thankful to have a job. Thankful for the love of my family and friends.
I am thankful for a God who loved me and my people so much that he sent his son to minister to us, to teach us, and endure suffering, humiliation and death for us. I am thankful for a God who then defeated death for us and erased our fear of it. Thankful for a God who continues to be involved in the small details of our lives. A God who hears, a God who cares. When I am sinning, I wish his gaze weren’t on me, but when I need help I am extremely grateful for it. Yes, I think of all the blessings I’ve been given in my whole life, a God who hears is the greatest gift of all.
May we all walk through this world today thankful and humble, seeking out those who need help. A crisis is an opportunity to do good. We don’t judge our situation by the news headlines or fear of each other. We weren’t put on this earth to be upwardly mobile and pacified by material security. We exist to be God’s messengers, doing good and finding joy in him. We place our hope in him, content to see him one day, and until then thank him for the opportunity to love each day in his presence and love.