Casandra Martin

I love the honesty and transparency of children. They humble me with their ability to speak truth and show me my heart.

Sitting down to eat dinner with friends, the little boy at the table was called on to bless our food and lead us in prayer. He praised God for His love and faithfulness, remembered someone who is sick, asked for blessings on his class, and then there was a pause. He hesitated long enough that I opened my eyes for a peek. I saw him staring down at his food, and just when I was wondering what was going through his mind, he wrapped his prayer up with the following words. “And thank you God…for almost everything.”

His mother and I grinned, but truth be told, his words have stuck in my head and tapped on a hard place in my heart. Some days, I am thankful…for almost everything. There are sometimes people I want to cross off the list, stresses that have made the day hard, disappointments that have been discouraging, unexpected pressures that ate my time, and things I just didn’t like that came across my plate. I am okay with being thankful for the pleasant, happy, comfortable parts of my day, but the less than fun stuff is easy to push into the ‘almost everything’ pile.

God, however, calls us to be thankful in all circumstances. He longs for me to slow down and look for the ways that His presence is infused in my day. His fingerprints touch my moments, His love enfolds my path, His grace stretches out before me, and His purpose is shaping even the ‘almost everything’ pieces of my life.

My Jesus Resolution today is to choose gratitude instead of grumbling. Being grateful requires me to have open eyes and a clear vision of my Savior. Walking in His steps plants my feet on holy ground and sets my heart on a path of amazement. Grumbling turns my eyes inward and makes it all about me. Searching for His fingerprints means I need a transformed heart and a humble spirit. Today I am thankful that He used a little boy to remind me to seek Him out in everything.