The Power of Gratitude Comes in Many Disguises
By Janet Lund
Thank You for Rain, From The Sky or Otherwise
Thank YouShowers, for some reason, tend to be a place where we believe we are “in our own world.” For many people, the shower is the one and only place where you can overhear them singing. I don’t know why that is. It’s not like the shower stall is somehow sound proof, but we often behave as if it is. It’s kind of funny, really.
Maybe it’s because we are already stripped away of everything else, that we might as well follow through with what’s natural. So we sing out loud, strong and clear, buck naked!
Several years ago on my birthday, while taking a shower, I was thinking about all the things I was thankful for in my life; my husband and daughter, my parents and sister, mother-in-law and all my nieces and their families…our little home, the beauty of the world God created, my songwriting partner, and my dear friend, Katie and her family.
Suddenly, I found these words of thanks come flying out of my mouth,
Thank you, Lord, for the treasures in my life.
Thank you, Lord, for the people you put here.
Thank you, Lord, for my family and my friends.
Thank you, Lord, for the ones I hold so dear!
I suddenly realized, Hey this is good stuff. I gotta write this down!
As God often does, he was filling my head with all these great lyrics at the most inconvenient time! I hastily wrapped myself in a towel, grabbed pencil and paper, and “drip drip drip” wrote the chorus of what became my Thank You song.
Borrowers…
I can’t help but smile when I sing this song, as I reflect on all the things God has blessed me with! My absolute favorite part of the song comes near the end in the bridge section:
“All that we have, all we’ve been given, is not really ours. We’re just borrowing it from Heaven!”
It is way too easy to take our blessings for granted. Sometimes I can even find myself thinking I deserve these things and am offended if they are somehow taken away.
We so easily forget that the things, people, and important places in our lives were given to us by God.
We don’t own any of it. It all belongs to God. We are borrowing. We are borrowers.
And Lenders Be
Yet, we are also lenders.
I especially have to remember that the daughter God gave us is a gift, too. My internal “Mama Bear” wants to protect her from all the bad stuff in the world. But I need to remember how much stronger God’s love and care must be for her safety and well-being.
It’s hard to let go when you forget who is the true owner and source of all our blessings. By lending to others what we have received, in a small way we imitate the Great Giver. This is another way we can live out “Thank you.” Another way to live out our gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving, God! Thanks for everything!!…and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Your turn. For what do you say, “Thank you”? Who do you say “Thank you” to? What blessings have been part of your life for awhile, that maybe a new round of “Thank you” would be good? What are new blessings just in the past year?
Comment below and add to the conversation. We’ll be glad you did. You can always sample this song on iTunes.