Jan asked me to share how the book 1000 Gifts has impacted
my life. That’s something to
ponder. It is sometimes hard to measure one’s
own inward change.
Let me begin by sharing how I came to read this book. My son, Jordan, took his life in March of
last year. At his funeral I became
reacquainted with a gal I’d known ten years ago. Like me, she had recently lost one of her
sons to death. She recommended Ann
Voskamp’s blog and told me about the book One Thousand Gifts.
I began reading One Thousand Gifts as an ebook. (It
carries along with me wherever I go on my smart phone.) I quickly discovered that this would be a book
I would savor rather than consume. I
read it slowly and still return to it frequently. It is one of the most treasured books I’ve
ever been privileged to read, one that I believe will continue to impact me the
rest of my life.
Ann’s book was written as a result of the tragic death of her
sister when they both were very young.
This event very negatively influenced Ann’s family as well as Ann as an
adult. In this book, she relates how a
simple challenge from a friend to make a list of things for which she is
grateful transformed her.
Have I followed the author’s lead and made a list of 1000 Gifts
that I am thankful for? You bet. And I’m going to keep making these lists
because God’s mercies are new every morning.
This giving of thanks to God by record keeping, by naming “Grace
Moments”, by specifying “Gifts that I Already Have”, I believe, is transforming
me.
For one thing, my outlook is more hopeful. Hope. Now that is a little word of large
consequence! It was my (and my daughter
Megan’s) word for the year 2011. Don’t
we all need hope? After beginning to
experience the most enormous loss of my life I needed renewed hope. Because of Jesus Christ and God’s promises in
His Word I had hope, sure hope. This
book came right alongside God’s Word to help make that hope more distinct, more
tangible, sort of the way glasses are a tool to clear obscured vision and help
us see things as they really are.
Through the encouragement of Ann’s insights regarding the
Biblical giving of thanks and through
the practice of specifically naming and recording items of which I am thankful to
God, my faith is being shored up. I am growing in understanding of what I do have--even in the face of tremendous,
temporary loss--and hope is giving birth to joy.
Learning to intentionally give thanks has very positively
impacted my daily worship of God. These
lists are a personal testimony of God’s tailored love for me, His goodness. It sometimes takes my breath when I discover one
of God’s priceless gifts right in front of me, lavished on me, just waiting to
be accepted from His loving heart.
Pausing to make that list, that takes attention. I get to give God my full attention. I get to recognize Him, worship Him. I get to live life moment by moment aware of
His presence. I get to live life
abundantly.
I have also found this tallying to be a delightful tool for
reflection. It is a personalized history
that recounts God’s activity in my life.
Remembering God’s precise goodness encourages me and makes me smile and
spurs me onward, especially when I am discouraged.
Not only do I derive pleasure from counting my blessings, but also from reading
about others’ blessings. Here and there,
Ann shares from her list of gifts and what she is learning. I find myself
celebrating our great God with her. I
would like to share with you a few of God’s gifts to me and then close with a
verse of scripture. I hope you are
blessed and reminded that God loves you so very much.
Here goes:
Meal time
together with family
Starry sky
Warm sweater
hugging me tight
Timeless
hydrangea, good for little girls’ bouquets, dried for year-round enjoyment, beauty lavished on my eyes
Lessons I’m
learning from my bus kids
My husband’s
companionship
Distant
flashes of lightning
Power naps
Eyes,
individual, expressive, beautiful, full of life
Henry, the
dog, nose pressed close to my bus door
Squirrel
friends chasing each other in the morning
Messy,
lived-in house
A friend’s
encouragement
Talking with
Megan
Laughing
together
A note with
our names in beautiful calligraphy
A friend’s
visit
Hearing my
child’s heartbeat, hearing them breathe as they sleep
Phone call
from Mama
Dazzling
frost on my windshield
Daniel, so
funny
Christmas
lights
Banjos and
bagpipes
Moonflower
seeds
Ps. 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou
hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto
thee: if I would declare and speak of
them, they are more than can be numbered.
