Lord, I am Grateful

My team and I have been back in America for a few days now. We are all now beginning to adjust to being back in America and are reflecting on our time in Cambodia aka the Kingdom of Wonder. We are all awestruck on how quickly our trip went. As I think back on my time in Cambodia, one word comes to mind...Grateful.

Most nights after we got back to the hotel from our busy day we would like to have a time of worship to refresh our souls. Hannah would play the ukulele and pick a few songs for us to sing. One particular night we sang the song Grateful by Elevation Worship. The chorus of the song says:

"I give thanks, for all you have done
And I will sing, of your mercy and Your love
Your love is unfailing
Lord, I am grateful
I give thanks, for all you have done
I won't forget, all the battles you have won
Your love is unfailing
Lord, I am grateful"

For some reason, this song was exactly what I needed to hear that night and was a good reminder to me to be grateful no matter the circumstances. I was reminded of the passage in Luke 17 where Jesus heals 10 men with leprosy. The story starts with Jesus telling the men to go show themselves to the priest. While the men were walking, Jesus heals them all simultaneously. Once again we see the power of Jesus and Him doing the unspeakable. However, only one man returns to Jesus to give him thanks. The Bible says, "when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan." (vs 15-16) Since we know the character of Jesus, his response is not surprising. He says, "were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" He then tells the man healed of his leprosy to "rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." Thankfulness was the only proper way to respond to the miracle and yet only one man returns to give thanks. So often in life, I am like the other nine. I receive the blessing that I so desperately hope for but forget to thank the Giver who is the maker of it all.

Gratitude is not a foreign concept to most. So why then is it difficult fo many? Jesus knew we would struggle to give him praise in both the joys and the trials. That is why we have this story about the 10 men with leprosy. Practicing gratitude as a form of worship realigns us to God thus, increasing His activity in our lives. Thanking God for all that we have and all that we don't brings forth humility. It helps us recognize that we can't do this life by our own strength and that we are so dependent on the grace of God! Humility is all about the heart and we should strive for all our relationships to be centered around humility. It's understanding how small we are when standing before a Holy God. We can't earn God's blessings but we can receive them and that starts with being grateful!

Humility not only helps us recognize how needy we truly are in front of a Holy God, but it also opens us up to His grace. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." I understand that it's easy to be grateful when everything is going well in life, but what about when the floods come? Will we stay strong because our foundation is built on the rock or will we easily crumble because our eyes turn away from the purpose behind the struggle? Our thankfulness should never be based on our life circumstances whether good or bad. When that happens we lose sight of the person that we should really be praising. Even when we turn away and our first instinct isn't to praise God, He never takes away His gifts! He could of easily taken away the healing of the nine leper's but He doesn't! I don't know about you, but that is so comforting to me. Because of God's love and our love for Him, saying "thank you" will always reveal unseen blessings!

I am so beyond grateful for the time I got to spend in Cambodia and for all that God was teaching me and for what He continues to teach me through this experience. Cambodia has changed my heart in more ways than one and I'm sure my team could say the same.

So what are you thankful for today? Share that with your Father who so desperately wants to hear your praise! It's not always easy but following Jesus wasn't meant to be. The blessing is always so much greater when we recognize the Creator of it all! Walk in peace today knowing that there is a God who loves you unconditionally!



Stephanie