Ending the Year with a Grateful Heart!

If your year was anything like mine, it probably wasn’t so easy.

This year, 2024, has tested many of us in countless ways, teaching us lessons about patience and kindness.

It has taught us the importance of interceding for others, even during times of pain and hardship.

And most importantly, it has reminded us to love one another more deeply than ever before.

Though many of us may not have fully enjoyed this season of life, we can find hope in knowing it will come to an end.

Yet, in the midst of life’s ups and downs, it’s easy to get caught up and and forget to be grateful.

To forget to count our blessings, reflect on them, and remember God’s faithfulness.

“Here I am, Lord, reluctantly getting out of bed.

I barely acknowledge the neatly ironed clothes in my cupboard or the breakfast items carefully set out on the kitchen counter.

Yet all I can focus on is how tired and dissatisfied I feel.”

It’s so sad that, truthfully, it’s easier to complain, to make requests, to murmur and grumble, to nag, than to be grateful.

It may not be the breakfast we hoped to have, but it’s there.

And we forget to say thank you—for the provision, for the grace to wake up strong and healthy, even for the cozy bed we have.

It doesn’t matter the size; it’s still a reason to feel blessed.

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.

I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

Philippians 4:12-13

Apostle Paul wrote this scripture, along with many other encouraging verses, while imprisoned.

Despite enduring persecution, beatings, shipwrecks, and chains, his faith remained intact.

Today, many of the things we complain about or struggle with may not compare to the hardships Paul faced.

This isn’t to dismiss your feelings or worries, as they are valid.

However, despite having so much to be thankful for, we often let our focus drift in the wrong direction.

As a result, we lose sight of God’s faithfulness.

A Thankful Perspective

I’ve learned so much over the little years I’ve lived that life itself is a gift.

I’ve learned to be thankful for the people around me.

For Christ’s saving grace, which has spread like wildfire in my family.

For nature that still holds balance and for the free air I breathe.

Indeed, for a thousand little things, a thousand big things, and millions upon millions of blessings, we have so much to be grateful for.

Above all, this is something so worthy of our gratitude: that we have a God who walks alongside us.

And not only on our best days but also on our worst.

Thus, being grateful is being aware of what God has done in our lives.

And just as the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 29:1-2, God indeed deserves all the glory.

For God’s goodness and mercies never fail

God’s goodness and mercies have never failed us.

I recall just how scared many of us were at the start of the year when a new government came into power.

The price of fuel skyrocketed, food and other essential items in the market surged, transportation costs became overwhelming.

School fees weighed heavily on our minds, insecurity loomed, and so much more.

Even a lot of companies had to lay off some of their workers just to keep their businesses afloat.

When we look back at all these and then reflect on where we are today, it becomes clear just how far we’ve come.

Despite all the complaints I made throughout the course of the year, not once did I go a day starving.

I never lacked a roof over my head or clothes to keep me warm.

Truly, the mercies of God have sustained both you and me through all the ups and downs that life has thrown our way.

Do you remember the parable of the ten lepers?

Jesus healed ten men suffering from leprosy, a disease that isolated them from society.

He instructed them to show themselves to the priests, and while they were on their way, they were cleansed.

However, only one of them, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus, falling at His feet and praising God.

Jesus asked, ” Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?

Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”

Luke 17:17-18

While all ten were physically healed, the one who returned received a deeper blessing, as Jesus affirmed that his faith had made him whole.

Similarly, beloved, we must not forget how gracious God has been to us.

Simply being alive and well is clear evidence of His mercy and love toward us.

Today, I pray that you will have a ‘thanks-giving day’—a heart filled with immense gratitude.

Your thankfulness to God should not depend on the circumstances of your life, nor should it be influenced by what is happening around you.

Whether this year has been wonderful or incredibly challenging, God has seen us through it.

So, have a grateful heart!

What more can we say than, ‘Thank you, Lord’!

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

Psalms 65:11