I'm only about half way through it, but it is so good...good because she is such an amazing writer, but also because it is such a great story.
"How," Voskamp wondered, "do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does a life of gratitude look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes dark? What is God providing here and now."
It is essentially about being thankful...in all places, in all things, at all times. She references so many Bible verses of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving always precedes a miracle in the Bible and so often we see Jesus giving thanks and calling us to give thanks.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them...(Luke 22:19).
In the original language, "he gave thanks" reads "eucharisteo."
The root words of euchariseo is charis, meaning "grace. It also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning "joy".
Charis. Grace. Euchariseo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy.
Jesus stood outside Lazarus's tomb, the tears streaming down His face, and He looked up and prayed, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me..." (John 11:41). And then the miracle of a dead man rising!
She writes about a challenge that changed her life and perspective. A challenge to write down 1,000 things she loves....1,000 gifts.
So I think that is what I am going to try to do. And I am going to try to see if anyone wants to do it with me. Even if they don't, I am going to try to do it. I'm going to start my own thanksgiving journal. I'm going to keep it out in the kitchen so the kids or Sam can add to it. I think it will be fun to watch the words of all the gifts/things we love/things we are thankful for pile up in the journal. I think it will be a good exercise for the kids and for me. We'll see how it goes...
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