Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. (4:2)
"Paul's entire letter to the Colossians breathes with gratitude, beginning with the words: "Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings" (1:3). The tumbling vocabulary, the exalted thought, the excitement in the truth - all of these things exemplify Paul's exhortation when he tells us to have our "eyes wide open in gratitude." "See everything," he seems to be saying, "Hear everything. Don't miss a note of this divinely orchestrated music." The way we tune our ears to that music is by praying. And not by praying casually but diligently." Eugene Peterson, Conversations, pg. 1855
There are plenty of days in which I struggle with gratitude. My blessings can feel like curses, if you know what I mean. It's frighteningly easy to get caught up in my desires and preferences and lose sight of God's purpose for me. His purpose for me these days seems to be to wrestle with His truth and my idols, and to work through the junk He's lovingly revealing. It's not my favorite season.
Yet gratitude is welling up as God is giving me eyes to see things as never before - beauty in brokenness and undeniable hope in the midst of tears and raging emotions. I see God gently but firmly pushing me forward.
And this has been happening as I've been praying diligently - and having others pray for me - that God will transform my heart. I'm trusting that His power is being made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) It's totally counterintuitive, and definitely not how I prefer to operate, but my loving Father is at work in me.
My days certainly don't seem like divinely orchestrated music (especially today), but I'm trying to tune my ears through prayer and to hear more notes. And with each new note, I find that my heart is a little more grateful for who God is in my life and for all that He's done and is doing in and through me.
2 comments:
Love this Cici! I miss seeing you! Let's have coffee or something. I also was caught by the verse about gratitude. Speaking of gratitude...how grateful I am in this moment as I sit under the trees in this cool weather reading God's word and reflecting on the blessings in my life. It's a good moment! Lord, help me to have a mindset of thankfulness, even through the hard moments!
This verse struck me:
Colossians 4:6 MSG
Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
Last night I realized I'm hurtful toward a fellow believer. She grates on me and makes immature snide remarks as a tough exterior because she is very wounded. These remarks bring out knee-jerk fleshly biting comebacks from me, which hurt her and probably keep her from being able to know that I'm safe to befriend. God is calling me to move toward her with gentleness, love, and grace. Not to "win" or shut her up. Ugh... it's going to be so very hard, but growing pains always are. These are stretch marks I need.
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