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!
Cont.
The beginning of the book is one depressing story after another but they all play a major role in the woman Ann is today. While reading the first chapter I came across a part that commented on how humans keep reliving the Garden story. She describes this as the first sin: the sin of ingratitude. It's horrible to think that Adam and Eve could be ungrateful for the things God gave them. For thousands of years we have fallen back into this trap of unsatisfaction. Eve wants more; she wants to see more and know more. What she doesn't know is that God has already let her see everything important. Our eyes were already open. As Ann states it, our sight was perfect. "Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good." Once we ate, we became blind to everything good. All we saw was sin, evil, ugliness. From now on we can't ever be full. We must always search for more. "We are hungry. We eat. We are filled... and emptied."
Another reason I wanted to catalog my blessings was so in times of need and struggle I could look back and remember everything I've been thankful for in the past. With my loss at the moment I feel like this is necessary. Just because one thing is gone doesn't mean my life is worthless. I want to remember that, to see that, to believe that. I want to give the glory to God.
Cont.
The beginning of the book is one depressing story after another but they all play a major role in the woman Ann is today. While reading the first chapter I came across a part that commented on how humans keep reliving the Garden story. She describes this as the first sin: the sin of ingratitude. It's horrible to think that Adam and Eve could be ungrateful for the things God gave them. For thousands of years we have fallen back into this trap of unsatisfaction. Eve wants more; she wants to see more and know more. What she doesn't know is that God has already let her see everything important. Our eyes were already open. As Ann states it, our sight was perfect. "Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good." Once we ate, we became blind to everything good. All we saw was sin, evil, ugliness. From now on we can't ever be full. We must always search for more. "We are hungry. We eat. We are filled... and emptied."
Another reason I wanted to catalog my blessings was so in times of need and struggle I could look back and remember everything I've been thankful for in the past. With my loss at the moment I feel like this is necessary. Just because one thing is gone doesn't mean my life is worthless. I want to remember that, to see that, to believe that. I want to give the glory to God.
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