Thankful for the Story God Has Written
This week feels a little different for me.
As you know, if you’ve read the last 2 blogs, the last few weeks have included a lot of medical tests and appointments, and while nothing life-threatening showed up, it has still been a season of paying attention to things in my body that don’t quite work the way they used to. That tends to get your attention.
But now that most of those tests are behind me, I find myself in a different place mentally. Instead of focusing on what might be wrong, I’ve been thinking about something else entirely.
This week is my birthday week.
I’ll be turning seventy-three and instead of thinking about everything that has changed over the years, I’ve been thinking about how grateful I am for the life God has given me. When I look back over the years, I can see so many moments where God quietly carried me forward, even when I didn’t fully realize it at the time. There were seasons that were difficult. Some chapters of my story were painful and confusing, and there were times when I didn’t know what the next step would look like, but when I step back and look at the whole story, something else stands out just as clearly.
God always placed someone in my life.
Sometimes it was a mentor.
Sometimes a friend.
Sometimes a teacher or someone in my church.
Even in the hardest seasons, there was almost always one person who showed kindness, encouragement, or simply reminded me that I mattered and of course, there was always Jesus. I may not have understood everything that was happening in my life at the time, but I was never truly alone.
Looking back now, I can see those small moments of care and encouragement as part of the way God was writing my story. The older I get, the more I realize that a life well lived is not measured by perfection or by how easy the journey was. It’s measured by the ways God met us along the way. It’s measured by the people who shaped us, the moments that strengthened us, and the quiet faithfulness of God that carried us through more than we ever imagined we could handle.
That’s why this week’s reflection is about gratitude.
Not the kind that ignores the hard parts of life, but the kind that pauses long enough to notice the goodness woven throughout the story. Sometimes we remember the hardest chapters of our lives very clearly, but we forget the people who stood beside us or the moments when God provided exactly what we needed.
So this week, I’m taking a little time to look back.
To remember the people who encouraged me.
To notice the ways God helped me keep moving forward.
And to simply say thank you for the story He has written so far.
As Samuel once said when he placed a stone to mark God’s help:
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
And when I look at my life, that sentence feels very true.
Thus far, the Lord has helped me.
Challenge: As you look back over your own story, where have you seen God quietly helping you along the way?
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