After a weekend filled with driving, moving furniture and boxes of mom's belongings, preaching twice this morning, getting the tile ready to grout tomorrow, fixing my bass case, and spending the evening with Linda's sisters and their husbands, I am tired. It's been a good weekend, filled with people we love, but I have to admit I am tired. As I was driving to Frewsburg for the evening at Linda's sister's, I was having to think about what I would be thankful for today, and it occurred to me that I am grateful that although I may have to think about it, I don't have to work at it. In Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, North Korea, and countless other places, I would imagine that gratitude would take effort. Our Christian brothers and sisters there face constant danger, and although I cannot speak for them, for me gratitude would take effort if I were in constant fear of my life. Here, the only effort needed is what it takes to narrow down the field and focus on one or two blessings.
I am grateful today for the privilege I've had these past two Sundays of presenting the Word of God to the believers in Frewsburg. The discipline of sermon preparation sharpened my sensitivity to the Scriptures and made me ponder the Gospel more deeply. I am also grateful that I no longer live under the pressure of having to do this every week. I am grateful for the strength and health that enabled me to help move my mother these past two days. I am grateful for the home to which we came last night. My brother's home is absolutely beautiful, the kind of place Linda and I used to dream about, but it was so good to walk in the door of our own home.
I am grateful for the Gospel; the message of forgiveness and deliverance from sin through faith in Christ. I am grateful that God actually does set us free from guilt and condemnation; it's not just a story.
These that I've listed are just off the top of my head. I had to think about them, but I didn't have to work at it. I am grateful that my blessings are so numerous and substantial that the only effort needed to count them is what it takes to narrow the list down to manageable size.
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