Phil 1:3

So I've been doing this thing where I write down stuff I'm thankful for each day.

Kind of like a 1000 gifts thing (Ann Voskamp), but on a smaller scale.

I've got a little notebook that I keep on my nightstand. Every night...and sometimes during the day...I write down things that I'm thankful for. Even looking back on the 31 days of January has been a blessing.

Not gonna lie...there was one day in January when apparently the only thing that was good about it was the roast I made for dinner. It was great. The day? NOTSOMUCH.

I already feel like I have a pretty thankful spirit. I really do feel blessed beyond measure. I am just trying to be more intentional with how I see the every day things...good and the not-so-good. Because the good things are easy to be thankful for, am I right? But sometimes the tough things that happen during the day...the annoying people you run into, the difficult situations...they can actually remind you to be thankful.

Philippians 1:3. It was my favorite verse when I was younger. I would write it on cards and letters. I would sign it under my name...really, without thinking.

"Every time I think of you, I thank my God."

I was making Clark's lunch one day this week. I was going to write it on his napkin. Really, without thinking.

But then I couldn't get the verse off my mind. In the past, I've used that verse to let the people I love know how thankful I am for them. And that I thank GOD for them.

This week, I was so convicted, because every time I think of Clark...I think, "oh, I hope he's keeping up with his homework," or "his room is a mess," or "I hope he's making wise choices," or "I don't agree with the schedule he made out for next year." Thanking God for him was not the FIRST thing I thought of, even tho I am very thankful for him.

It's the same way with my other children. They are individuals with different things going on in their lives...and are in situations that are unique to them. When I think of them...or pray for them...the FIRST thing I do is not give thanks for them. Not every time. I'm sad to say that many times, the FIRST thing that comes to mind are the problems they are facing...or the choices that are in front of them....the decisions they are making.

I AM thankful for my children. They know it. But I am making a conscious decision to, with God's help, thank God for them...first thing...every time I think of them.

"Every time I think of you, I thank my God." Philippians 1:3