What’s One Thing for Which You’re Grateful?
I’m in Romania, reflecting on the things I’ve seen and experienced in the past week and realizing afresh that I have much for which to be thankful.
What’s one thing for which you’re grateful today?
I’m sitting in my hotel room in Romania, reflecting on the things I’ve seen and experienced in the past week and realizing afresh that I have much for which to be thankful.
The group to whom our team ministered for several days struggle with life-threatening diseases. Many suffered abandonment in infancy or childhood. Some have endured physical and emotional abuse. Considered outcasts in their society due to their illness, they’re kicked out of schools and refused employment. My life is a fairy tale compared to theirs.
I’m grateful for these things…
Spending time with these precious folks reminds me to be thankful for good health and access to medical/dental care. Sometimes we, as North Americans, feel like our health care system is broken. But when I see how other countries’ health care systems fail their people, I count myself blessed to live where I do.
It reminds me to be grateful for immediate family—something many of these young people know nothing about. One little gal has spent the last three+ decades in an orphanage and knows zero about her biological background. Those of us who have known our parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins are blessed. Immediate family might not be perfect, but at least we have some sort of connection or sense of belonging.
It reminds me to be thankful for the little things I’d otherwise take for granted, like the freedom to buy a snack whenever I want because I can afford it, to own a driver’s license and be able to get myself around to where I need to go, and to wake every morning to purpose and meaning.
Some of these young adults I’ve known for 16 years. I’m grateful to see the growth in their lives. Many pitched in to help make the retreat a success by serving meals, rearranging chairs and tables when necessary, and keeping an eye on the little ones to ensure their safety seeings as how our venue was on the banks of the Danube River. They’ve come a long way over time, and all because of love shown to them by our missionary staff, short-term teams, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within them.
Some have expressed a desire to be baptized, and one plans to pursue Bible school training so he can become a pastor to others who are dealing with the same challenges. I’m grateful for their example of perserverance despite challenges that might leave the rest of us undone.
Learning to live with an attitude of gratitude
October 14th marks Canada’s Thanksgiving Day. Sailor-Man and I won’t (technically) celebrate the holiday this year as we’ll arrive home from Portugal late the night before. One thing we will be doing, however, is remembering the people with whom we’ve spent time on this trip and giving thanks for the privilege of being part of their lives.
I wish I could post pictures because a picture paints a thousand words, but doing so puts these dear ones’ well-being and our coworkers’ ministry at risk. Words alone must suffice in this public forum, but please feel free to contact me privately via email: [email protected] if you want to learn more.
Oh, my friends. We have so much for which to be thankful. We often take the ordinary for granted, or we focus on the things we don’t have and fall into a case of ingratitude. May we learn to live with thankfulness for even the simple and commonplace as well as the hard things we wouldn’t choose for ourselves. An attitude of gratitude demonstrates trust and contentment with what God allows in our lives.
How do we develop such an attitude? By waking in the morning and giving thanks to God for at least one thing before rolling out of bed. By keeping a gratitude journal, and recording a couple of reasons for which you’re grateful at each day’s end. By choosing to be grateful rather than complaining when stuff happens.
Let’s do it, my friend. Let’s become people who live with grateful hearts not just on Thanksgiving Day but every day of the year.
How about you?
So….back to the question I asked at the start. For what are you grateful today? I’d love to hear your response.
Know you are loved,
Grace
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Hi Grace, I enjoyed reading about your wonderful work for the Lord in Romania. It must be so fulfilling. I received my copy of MWJ 2025, and I am grateful that you are writing for them once again!
Hi Diana!
Yes, partnering with our staff in Romania and other countries is very fulfilling. Seeing what God is doing around the world brings alot of joy.
Yay! I’m glad you’ve already received MWJ 2025. Funny thing — our devotions for 2026 are already in the process of being published. I love writing for MWJ 🙂
Know you are loved,
Grace
I’ve often commented how easy it is to take things for granted—a roof over my head, a comfy bed, food in my belly, a flushing toilet, a fresh cup of coffee each morning, beautiful flowers outside the window, hearing the birds praising God, a job working for a Christian organization, a mostly healthy body ☺️, four children (even though their adult lives are full of painful challenges, and I feel their pain), and spending time with my grandchildren. What blessings! It reminds me of that song “Counting My Blessings”. I can’t count that high of all God has done in my life. Thank you, Grace for the ways you have blessed me and helped me find faithful friends through your Bible studies online. God be with you.
Hi Catherine:
I say yes, yes, yes to all those things you listed. It’s easy to take them for granted when we’ve grown up with them. But for those who have not — oh my goodness, life is much different. May God constantly remind us that He blesses us so that we might bless others.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Today I’m thankful that the hurricane didn’t do as much damage as it did in other places. I only lost power for 5 days. So many others lost more than the groceries that I lost. I’m so blessed and my heart is broken for those that have and continue to lose more. Please join me in prayer for these people
Hi Harriet:
My thoughts have been with so many this week — those with whom we’re serving here, our coworkers in Beirut, and of course, those who are suffering in the US after the hurricane. My mind can scarcely take it all in.
“Father, please strengthen those who feel so very weak and vulnerable right now. Comfort those who have lost loved ones, livelihood, and possessions. Send aid to the stranded, the sick and all who are helpless to help themselves. Empower those who are seeking to provide assistance in every way. LORD, we cry out to You to bring beauty from destruction. Bring hope today and tomorrow and every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Loved the song you added to this post! It was so encouraging and uplifting and just blessed the weary and dry parts of my soul this morning-much needed in the midst of a difficult season I find myself in. And your blog post was such an encouragement to find at least one thing, no matter how small to be grateful for-that it doesn’t always have to be the big miracle we’ve been praying for, but to be thankful for that small, and possibly seemingly insignificant thing to others but that something that just means so much to us personally reminded me that if it matters to our hearts, it matters to Gods heart, and it’s always something we can be thankful for. Amen.
Amen, Hannah! We can always find something for which to be thankful even if it seems small. For instance, right now I’m looking outside and seeing the rain fall gently. I’m thankful for the moisture that it brings to the dry earth here. I’m thankful for the good mattress in our hotel room last night, and that I was able to have one of my favorite breakfast foods this morning (yogurt). I’m thankful that the hotel bathroom had a plug-in so I could see what I was doing when I dried my hair (this is the first bathroom with a plug-in on this trip so far). Oh my — the list goes on.
I’m thankful that you took a few moments to share your thoughts here 🙂
Know you are loved,
Grace
I volunteer with adults with developmental disabilities. This makes me realize many blessings I have that they don’t have. How easy it is for me to take things for granted. I am thankful that: I can control my bladder and bowels and use the toilet myself. I can dress myself. I can eat food (and don’t have a feeding tube). I can feed myself. I can see. Not only can I see, I can read. I can drive. I can walk. I can walk with out a limp or a walker. I can talk. I can hear. (Therefore I can communicate effectively.) I do not need an oxygen tank. I can chew (and do not need to eat pureed food).
Yes, yes, yes! I’m saying yes to everything you mentioned here. We visited a seniors’ home a few days ago, and the things I saw left me with a long list of things for which to be grateful — you touched on all of them. We have so much for which to be grateful.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. They inspire us.
Know you are loved,
Grace
I‘ m thankful today to celebrate 35 years of the reunifikation of Germany. (Today is out national Holiday Tag der deutschen Einheit)
It started with a prayermovent. Followed by a peaceful revolution. That is pure Grace of God.
Rose — thank you, thank you for posting this. I remember exactly where I was when news came of the wall coming down. You’re absolutely right about a peaceful revolution being pure grace of God. And to think it started with a prayer movement. Prayer — what a powerful privilege!
Know you are loved,
Grace
I loved hearing about the work you’re able to do in Romania, the children there have always been close to my heart ever since I heard of the orphanages there years ago. Today it was maybe just a small thing but I went out to run errands and was sitting in my car for a moment and I saw what I thought was a cat under my Daughter in Law’s car( she and my son live across the street from my Mom’s house, where I now live, she’s 83!). Anyway, I realized after blinking a few times this was no cat! It was a large black and white bunny! Yikes!! What to do! It definitely wasn’t wild. So she came outside and I met her by her car and she was braver than I, she actually went up to the bunny and it sniffed her and let it pet her but it wouldn’t go for being picked up! So we kind of stood there thinking we were sort of guarding it ( probably not) and low and behold the next door neighbor’s young adult son and a couple family members came over and he was nearly in tears, thanking us for rescuing his pet rabbit “Roger”! This time the rabbit let himself be picked right up, the stinker and he still had a dandelion he was munching on from his escape!! I was grateful we were able to keep Roger safe for just those few minutes. It maybe wasn’t much but it sure made my day!
Hi Nancy! Thanks for sharing this sweet story. You were in the right place at the right time by God’s design. 🙂 Thanks for being available to care for Roger. Others might have been too busy and rushed off, but you probably helped save his life. Well done.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you Grace for your beautiful words. I live in Ontario and our health care has deteriorated from what it used to be but it is still better than most. I am grateful that I have a doctor and OHIP when others need to rely on emergency clinics for even basic care.
I am very thankful today for God’s gift of my marriage to a wonderful man. We are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary today. We are going to the church where we were married and renewing our vows. Afterwards we will be going out for supper with family to celebrate. We are blessed with 3 wonderful children, 2 son-in-laws, 1 daughter-in-law and 4 beautiful grandchildren.
Thank you for sharing your ministry with us. Thank you for including such inspiring music.
God bless you and all your work! God is good!
Hi Carol:
Thank you for posting your thoughts here. Congratulations on your 50th! That is truly a marriage milestone, and a wonderful legacy to leave to your children and grandchildren. I’m thankful for your example.
Know you are loved,
Grace