To "I ask for everything, but give thanks for nothing,"
Sometimes, you hear something or see something that is just a slap across the face. (A good slap across the face, though). God has been waiting for me to understand this and take notice of the life I am living. I just needed a little bit of a push.
I was recently asked an extremely difficult question, one that took all the air out of my lungs and made me think about everything I am doing as a Christ follower. If I woke up one morning with only the things I had thanked God for the day before, what would I have? For me: absolutely nothing. Sure, sometimes, at the end of my daily talks with the Lord. I thank him for something like my family or helping me pass that test. But it is not a habit for me to thank the Lord for everything he has blessed me with. And believe me, I should be thanking him all hours of the day, because I am truly blessed.
When I’m talking to God, I am often asking for forgiveness, asking him to please just help me pass this one test I did not study for, or asking him to love on someone special. But when do I actually tell him how absolutely and completely grateful I am for the life that I am living? Rarely.
This question threw me through a loop. Of course I am grateful for everything I have! My education, my family, my sisters, my best friends, my little and my big, my roommates, the food I get to eat every day, my church, my mentors, etc. There is so much that I can’t even think to list them all! But do people actually know that? No. Do I actively thank the Lord and show how absolutely grateful I am to everyone I know on a constant basis? No.
And why is that? Why do I struggle so hard when it comes to offering praise and thanksgiving? I’ve come to a conclusion. It may not even be the right one, but I’m sticking with it. I am selfish.
As human beings, we are all a little selfish. It’s just how we are. I pray a lot, and I ask him for so much: helping me through a hard time and taking care of my worries and anxieties are the two most common prayers I have. But I cannot continue to just actively take and ask for more without giving anything in return.
I have to actively and consciously show not only the Lord, but also everyone surrounding me, how grateful I am for what the Lord has blessed me with. Because He’s provided everything for me, and why wouldn’t I want to show people how joyous I am to be truly loved by Him?
