Gratitude

I just got a new tattoo Gracias Señor.

It is a declaration, etched in my skin, to be thankful. It is a constant reminder to live in a state of gratitude. But that begs several questions. Is gratitude important? Is it important to the Living God? And why?

Yes, thankfulness matters. To choose to be grateful, even in the darkest nights of my soul, is to honour the God of grace and it helps to break the darkness.

Gratitude, spoken rightly, honours God because it must refer back to the God who is the source of all things--ALL THINGS. And all things means all things.

So can I be thankful in my grief? Can I be thankful that Faye is no longer here with me? Can I be thankful for my grief?

Yes, yes, yes.

I don't understand why my bundle of energy was taken away from me. But I know God is sovereign. I know He is good in his dealings with His people. I know He loves Faye. (I deliberately choose to say He loves Faye, present tense because He loves her as He has always loved her.) And I know He loves me.

I also know, of course, that Heaven is a reward for Faye, not a punishment.

So I choose to be grateful, even in this, because of what I know about the character of God. And I trust Him. And a demonstration of my trust is gratitude.

Soli Deo Gloria.