Practising thankfulness

This post was written to be included in Lydia's Thursdays of Thankfulness.

Today I have exciting events to be thankful for! Yesterday my twin nephews Jeriah and Caleb were born. My two most pressing questions have been answered. I now know the answer to "is there two boys, two girls, or a boy and a girl": two boys! I also know their names, which I have been anticipating a lot. I know that these names will be precious to me for the rest of my life, as I enjoy my nephews and pray for them in the years ahead.

Some of our prayers were answered with regard to the birth, as Janelle did not have to be induced or have a caesarean. We expected the twins to be born on Tuesday, as Janelle was due to be induced that day, but the hospital was too busy and she could not go until Wednesday. Then she did not need an induction done, because after the doctor broke the waters she went into labour. It is wonderful that she was able to have as natural a birth as possible. The twins are very healthy, and I look forward to meeting them tonight or tomorrow.

On the theme of thankfulness, I also want to share from C.J. Mahaney's book Humility: True Greatness. This book has been a great blessing to me this year. I am now reading it for the third time. Like most people, I learn the lessons of humility slowly and I need frequent reminders.

C.J. Mahaney recommends several practices that he believes can assist us in our quest to be humble. One of these is gratefulness. I enjoyed this quote that he used to illustrate the benefits of thankfulness:

"Thankfulness is a soil on which pride does not easily grow." Michael Ramsey.

C.J. emphasises that it is not only right and beneficial to be grateful, it is also wrong not to be grateful. "An ungrateful person is a proud person. If I'm ungrateful, I'm arrogant. And if I'm arrogant, I need to remember God doesn't sympathize with me in that arrogance; He is opposed to the proud."

C.J. recommends that we begin each day expressing gratefulness to God. He says, "I want to greet my Saviour with gratitude, not grumbling."

I was also inspired at this quote C.J. used about Matthew Henry: "he was an alert and thankful observer of answered prayer." This was always "sweetening his spirit, and he would often invite others to join him in giving thanks."

I would love to be a person who exibits this kind of sweet, thankful attitude toward God. As C.J. says, each day we can observe "countless indications of His provision, His presence, His kindness, His grace?" Complaining characterises my attitude more often than thankfulness does, and I often ask God to change this and to help me to be more thankful.

C.J. points out the central reason why we should be grateful: "whatever grace we receive from God is so much more than we're worthy of, and indescribably better than the hell we all deserve."

Recently I was reading Luke 6:35, and I was deeply touched that we serve a Most High God who is "kind to the unthankful and evil". I am included in that category, as I am often unthankful and my human nature is evil. Yet in the midst of this I can rely upon the kindness of God, and trust that he is transforming me into a person who praises him in every circumstance.