“What do you have that you did not receive?” -1 Corinthians 4:7

Today began so joyous I want to shout it out. (But as I write this, it’s still early hours, and the rooster’s disturbing neighbors too much already, just by himself. So I’ll “shout” it quietly on keyboard.)

How did such early morning joy come to this bleary-eyed earthling? It started with something someone said yesterday, in comment conversation on someone’s blog, and I don’t even remember which one. (Sometimes these conversations leave me feeling I’ve just enjoyed a true worship gathering of companions heart-deep in loving and venerating God and building each another up in faith. A community of faith. Well, that is, after all, what these blog hops really end up being for me… But I digress…)

Someone asked, have you seen the thing making the FaceBook/email rounds that asks something like, “What if you woke up tomorrow morning to find all you had was what you thanked God for today?”

Whoah! I thought. And realized how good intent can lead me astray, off a good path.

For years now, I don’t know how many, I’ve been purposing to come up with five new gratitudes daily: five things to give thanks for that I haven’t noted before. The reason: it’s too easy to get in a rote rut, thanking God repeatedly for the same handful of things.

However, focusing just on new things has veered me off a tad from constant thankfulness for all things, which is a sad thing from which to lose your way.

So today I woke up remembering that Facebook/email question, and decided to thank God for everything and anything that I wouldn’t want to wake up tomorrow and find gone!

As Husband was just lumbering out of bed and shuffling toward the closet for his clothes, I naturally thought of him first, and said, “I thank God for you.” What a reward! A big smile, a hug and a kiss! You can’t start your day much better than that! Yet it went gliding sweet and smooth up and upward from there, me thanking God, in silence and whispers, left, right, and center, as I began my day.

Yes.

Not one thing I have, material or spiritual or mental or inward and personal, not one do I have that I was not given, by “the Giver of all good things” (Jas 1:17).

By now I feel like a joyous sparkler shooting off thanks thoughts, little light-bright mini-explosions of gratitude, but instead of running out of sparks, my sparkler just keeps getting charged more!

Happy, happy Thanks Giving! Tomorrow, and today – or whenever you happen to read this. Or, no. Let me rephrase that to “Happy, Happy Thanks Living!” – both now and forevermore!

(What we have is not about us.)

*****