Timeline of Thanks

We learned yesterday that God’s will is less about the details of life and more about our spiritual maturity / sanctification (becoming more holy, like Christ). Our verse today is pretty clear about God’s will – He wants us to be thankful, in what – EVERYTHING. Not sure about you, but I’d rather he just command me to do anything else. Anything. 4 little words – “In Everything Give Thanks” Virtually impossible. It’s easy to thank Him for my beautiful wife and children But what about all the pain, hurt and death? As I was preparing to write this devotional, the Lord reminded me of a life full of thankful moments.

        Here is a very practical exercise that can remind us –“in everything give thanks”.   The following is my personal timeline of Thanks. I have not shared my complete timeline because I am quite old, and that timeline would last several chapters. Your thankfulness timeline can be very cathartic. Spend some alone time with the Lord and ask Him to remind you of all He has provided in the past and trust Him to do so in the future. Ask the Holy Spirit to allow us to be grateful for even the awful moments in life. Thank Him for both positive and negative moments. Be specific – I decided not to be too detailed in mine below- you don’t want to know all of my skeletons.  I trust you will be blessed when you write your own personal timeline of thanks. 

          Thank you, Lord,…  for allowing me to be born into an amazing Christian family

          Thank you, Lord,…  for my appendicitis 

          Thank you, Lord,…  for saving me while I was at a camp at age 14

          Thank you, Lord,…  for getting me through high school, even though it was lonely. Thank you for teaching me to stand up for You.

          Thank you, Lord,…  for bringing an angel into my life who said Yes.

          Thank you, Lord,…  for amazing friends / family who have invested in my life

          Thank you, Lord,…  for the death of a great friend and many others who are now with You

          Thank you, Lord,…  for 3 amazing children and the life we have shared together.

          Thank you, Lord,…  for the struggles and triumphs our children have faced.

          Thank you, Lord,… for the stroke my mom had last summer.

          Thank you, Lord,…  for all my health challenges. For my inability to run for the past 15 years.

          Thank you, Lord,…  for always providing

          Thank you, Lord,…  for our 32 years of marriage that we are celebrating today

          Thank you, Lord,…  for the most important thing – my salvation. For sacrificing your Son so a sinner like me can spend eternity with You. No words can express how thankful I am for choosing me.

Dave R  

’69 / ’83  Quarryville  PA