When my kids were young, our family kept a “gratitude journal” by our dinner table. Occasionally during meals, we’d take out the journal and write down things we were thankful for. We wrote about our Basset hound Belle, or my daughters’ ballet shows, or my son’s Boy Scout adventures—any reason we could think of to thank God.
One day as I was looking through the journal, I came across an entry I hadn’t written. My kids had added it on their own, unprompted. For lunch one day, instead of the usual peanut butter sandwiches, we’d had burritos. Not yummy, restaurant burritos, mind you—these were the cheap, frozen-hard-as-a-rock, tastes-like-cardboard-with-lava-inside, microwaveable burritos. But my kids were excited! They had each taken a turn adding to the gratitude list in their early grade school penmanship: “Burritos. Burritos! Burritos!!!”
David said in Psalm 103:2, “Forget not all his benefits.” But that day, my kids said, “Forget not all his burritos!”
Most days, praise is the very last thing I want to do—or even think to do, but David commanded his soul to praise. (Psalm 103:1) What would change in my mind and heart—in my attitude and perspective—if I chose to praise? If I chose to be grateful? What if, every morning on the way to work, instead of growling at the day ahead, I thanked God for my coffee, for my coworkers, and especially for his compassion and grace? (Psalm 103:8) What if, every night when my head hit the pillow, I thought back over the day and took a moment to forget not all his benefits?
What are you thankful for? Whether you’re in a high season of life where you’ve got it all together or a low season where you’re overwhelmed or discouraged, wherever you are right now…you can praise. You can, as David said, “bless the Lord.” (Psalm 103:1) You can remember who he is and what he has done. David lists six enormous benefits to remember in Psalm 103:3-5: God forgives, heals, redeems, loves, satisfies, and renews—a great start to a gratitude list.
God is a compassionate father who gives good gifts to his children. (Psalm 103:13; Matthew 7:11) Recalling God’s faithfulness in the past gives us strength in the present and hope for the future. Celebrating God’s goodness shifts and lifts our focus from the here and now to his everlasting love. (Psalm 103:17) So when we say with David, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul,” even microwaved burritos can be a reason to praise. Forget not all his burritos!
Amy Storms
Amy is a part of our Christ’s Church family and has taught Women’s Bible studies and served as a Pathways guide. She is the Marketing & Communications Director as well as an English Professor and Strong Hall Residence Director at Ozark Christian College, one of our Impact Partners.
Amy is pictured here with her husband, Andy, and children, Nathan, Anne, and Molly.
