Unorthodox Thankfulness

Subscribe: RSS

You ever have a moment when you know that God is trying to get your attention?

The past few weeks God has gotten my attention many different ways. The first time was when I sat down to interview Erik Shwarz for the podcast. Erik had an amazing story of how an accident changed his life permanently. Erik was hit by a car at 45 mph and he was thrown 30 feet on to the concrete. The accident left Erik with a destroyed shoulder, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After Erik shared his story I asked him “What advice can you give other guys in your situation?” His response surprised me. Erik said, “Have gratitude for everything you have. I am thankful to be a live, to be here talking with you, to drive here today.”

Of everything Erik could have said about his accident and injury he simply wanted others to be thankful for what they are blessed to have.

The second attention getter was when I said nighttime prayers with my daughter. I asked what she wanted to pray for and she told me “I don’t need to pray, I don’t need anything.” I told her that when you don’t need anything it’s good to pray and say thank you for everything you do have. And at that moment I realized I was not living what I told my daughter to do.

How often do we go to God simply when we need something?

How often do we not see what we have because we only focus on what we want?

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This verse is a great reminder that we need to go to God to say thank you as well as ask for help. But it also shows us that the only way we can be content and not focus on all the things we don’t have is through Jesus.

I know this post is short but I want to stay on point here and say “If we focus on being grateful for what we have then we won’t get so disappointed by what we don’t have.”

This week lets be men who practice Unorthodox Thankfulness.