To Live Like the Son

Every Christian has heard it. "Live like Jesus. Be like Jesus. Mimic Jesus in everything you do." We try our best with this impossible task. We try to love others, we try to keep our anger in check, we try to help the ones in need, we try to love our enemies, we try to respect, we try to die to ourselves, but do we try to thank our Creator enough? I don't believe that a single American citizen has nothing to be thankful for. Are we starving? Are we naked? Are we really without any materials needed to live? I've seen former slave children in Ghana, West Africa that are more thankful for their lives than the people I share my life with, me included most of the time. These are children stripped from their homes, parents promised by the fishermen that they would be cared for, even educated, and then are gone forever. These are children who I have listened tell me how they had to dive down into the murky water of Lake Volta to untangle nets where they had found the other children, sometimes even siblings, who had failed in their attempt and had drowned. And we complain about having nothing to be thankful for?

Giving thanks is one of the most powerful ways to start living a fuller life. Jesus was constantly giving thanks to his father. "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks..." (1 Cor.  11:23-24) The night before he was betrayed! That is so moving to me. Jesus was about to be hung on a cross, a fate he already knew was coming, and he gave thanks! The word excruciating was coined to describe the pain endured on the cross. This man was about to suffer through the worst pain known to our world and he could still thank his Father. I honestly don't believe I could. I can barely handle the heartbreaks he's putting me through right now. It takes all I have to pray a prayer of thanks when things aren't going according to my plans.

Continuation of Chapter One

Ann talks about loss. Honestly, I've never experienced much loss. I'm one of the lucky ones to have lived a long enough life with the people I care about. There has been one thing that has changed my life dramatically that most people don't know about. If you (the person who affected my life) ends up reading this I don't want you to think you've taken anything away from my life. You have been one of the biggest influences and I love you.

The Beginning of Something New

Recently there have been changes made to my life which I can't say I consider blessings. I know they've come from God but for what reason I haven't come to realize. These changes have sent me on a journey to find one thousand things I'm thankful for. I received One Thousand Gifts as a Christmas present and thought that to start off the new chapter of my life I would read the book and blog about one gift a day until I reach one thousand. That will be almost two years and 9 months of my life to give thanks to an ever present and powerful God for the gifts he has given me. I'll do that by taking a picture (if possible) of every blessing and telling you why it is important to me. I hope to realize my life is a blessing and to "live fully right where I am". I haven't decided if I will finish reading the book before I start my journey. One thing I do know is I want to highlight some of the statements Ann Voskamp makes in her book. I'm excited to start this adventure and can't wait to share my blessings with you!