The prayer of a child over her blanket, the thankfulness of an adult over healing, both pausing their daily lives to thank God. Once a blessing comes, how easy it is to focus on the blessing, rather than the one who gave the blessing. Being appreciative for the little and big things in life that remind us that we are loved and thought about even in the intimacy of our personal lives from a loving and caring God.

Her favorite blanket was missing. Sure she has others, but this is her new favorite. A cute blanket with a cow on it that she lovingly refers to as ‘moo-moo’. We looked for a while, but nothing showed up. So she stopped and said, “I know what to do!”With her eyes clinched together she prayed, “Lord, please help me find my Moo-Moo, Amen.”Within a few minutes we found her blanket!

I see why God says in Matthew 18:13, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Their faith is so pure, their thoughts are so genuine.

So as we paused that day, and thanked God for Moo-Moo I was also thankful for my daughter and for the examples of faith she is already showing to me.

Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.

And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine– where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:15-19

One leper… out of ten.

Before the day they met Jesus these ten men were reminded daily of their disease, visible sores covered their body, while the disease attacked their vision and caused nerve damage. In that time, they were deemed social outcasts and would form leper colonies.

And then they met Jesus.

Jesus healed them, their physical ailments were relieved from them, their social stigma gone. Yet despite this new beginning, new life… just one thanked God.

Thankfulness is defined as… an expression of the heart that acknowledges your appreciation to another.

How often do we make time for this simple gesture of love? Do we focus on things we are thankful for or do the negative things bombard our thoughts and steal our joy?

We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.”

H.A. Ironside

Today, take time to thank God. If you have hit a rough patch it might be hard to think of these things, but no matter what season you are in, there is always something to be thankful for. Whether it is for food in your belly, or clothes on your back, acknowledge the things that you would miss if they were not there. A familiar quote that always gets me thinking is, “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you had thanked God for today?”

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above.

James 1:17

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ 

 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.¹⁷ 

 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17

What are some of the things you are thankful for? I would love to hear about them!

A book that I highly recommend to encourage a heart of thankfulness.

One thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp