Giving Thanks for the Small Stuff

It’s that time of the year that we are reminded to give thanks for all the blessings we experience. The Bible teaches us to be thankful, and reminds us regularly to make it a part of our daily ritual. 1st Thessalonians 5:16-17 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I have been learning to see God’s big answers in the small things. I heard the phrase recently, “Don’t despise the small beginnings” and it hit me like a jolt. I have big dreams and am often asking God for the big answers, but I knew that I was to begin to see his big answers in the small beginnings. There is a seed in them that will turn into the bigger answers.

Think about the situation the disciples found themselves in when they had a very hungry crowd on their hands, but only had a young boys’ lunch of 5 loaves of bread and some fish. All they could see was the hungry crowd, but Jesus saw something different. He saw the answer to the crowd’s hunger in the young boy’s lunch.

He took the loaves and fishes and the Scripture tells us that “he gave thanks, blessed them and broke them.” We all know what happened! Jesus continued to break up the same lunch over and over until it turned into a banquet for thousands!

We can learn to the do the same. Our role is to give thanks and to bless. Where we only see lack, Jesus sees multiplication. We can learn to do this with our money, our energy, our time, and our food.

Begin to practice this principle this week during Thanksgiving as we are regularly reminded to “give thanks!” See how the small seed of your thanks turns into a multiplication of God’s kingdom.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100