Beginning

October 23, 2018

It was December 28, 2012 when God convicted me of a sin that had been a part of my life ever since I can remember. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I had read that verse countless times, it never dawning on me that this was as clear a command as “Do not commit adultery,” or “Do not murder.” I had been spending a great deal of time on complaining and criticizing, and very little on praise and thanksgiving. It was no wonder I lived under a continual cloud of mild depression and discouragement. God cannot bless us when we are disobedient to his Word. I decided then and there that I would change, and one of the tools at my disposal was a calendar that gave me three gratitude prompts each day. This was the beginning of my nightly gratitude posts.

Within a year, that cloud that for years had hung over my head had dissipated. During that year God patiently and persistently cleaned out all the ingratitude detritus that clung to my soul. It amazed me how difficult it was to let go of the criticism and negativity. I was continually tempted to respond with “correction” to people whose perspective was different than mine. I had to learn the discipline of ignoring angry and ignorant comments. In the years since, the struggle for positivity has continued. Paul says in Ephesians 4 to “let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building people up.” 

It amazes me how easy it is to fall back into bad habits, and how often I still need gratitude prompts. Today’s is “three things begun.”

God’s work in me is begun. It is far from finished, but he promises to keep at it till I am completely whole (Philippians 1:6).

My bathroom remodel is begun and coming along well. Hopefully, I’ll be done in a couple weeks.

I’ve begun Linda’s Advent story. Not very far along, but it’s early, and once the bathroom remodel is done, I’ll have more time to write.

Beginning is half the battle. The other half is finishing. I am thankful for the beginnings, and even more thankful for God’s promise of finishing what he started. Knowing that he doesn’t quit or give up is a great reassurance when it feels like I’m so far from the goal.