Beautiful Gifts, Love

For a long time, every Monday, I tried to be faithful to continue a gratitude list on this blog of the gifts God had placed in my life, a list to number 1000 at the end as inspired by Ann Voskamp. After I made it to college though, I began to slack off on that. Part of that was because the whole exercise was becoming a little too routine. Part of it was time constraint. So on, so forth. Well today, there were several things that really stuck out to me that I wanted to type down. So here's to reflections of the day and the past few weeks, to Jesus being so good, to the reminder that gratitude is a very important character quality (which I need to cultivate in a much deeper level). So here goes. I left off at 755. So . . .

756. Getting a side hug from Professor Kopp today. Hugs are good things. People caring feels so good.

757. Needing Jesus only. Or overall. He has designed me to need others I believe, but my soul-need is Him. And He is constant. I am safe.

758. Three compliments today on outfit or how I looked.

759. John asking me how I was doing and then asking why I was good. And I had to think about it and come up with an answer. Ah it blessed me so much that he cared to know deeper. Meant a lot.

760. There's this lady in my Adult Sunday School class that is so sweet to me. One morning she told me she had been praying for me that morning. Such a blessing.

761. Finding just the right black shoes for fall banquet at such a GOOD price at such a GOOD time the day OF Fall Banquet. Jesus takes care of me . . . even with the little things.

762. Desani, one of the beautiful little guys I work with at an elementary school, him smiling, progressing, melting a little under love.

763. That Jesus helped me through giving blood, conquering fear.

764. Laughing hard with my roommate Bethany and with friend, Clarissa, and just laughing with silly friends at dinner.

765. Phil, this middle aged guy who drew my blood, teasing me and making me laugh through the process and then taking the squeezer thing from me so I could hold his hand and could squeeze that. Supposedly my hands were cold, and they need to be warmer for better circulation. Later he said that it was his excuse to hold hands with a pretty girl. Haha :) Thanks, Phil!

766. Laughing after fall banquet when my friend and I found out that the parking garage was locked, and we needed to head back.

767. Larissa being there to catch me when I passed out. God is good. And she's my hero. lol :)

768. My cousins visiting me here last Saturday and cousin taking me out to dinner.

769. The green red robin balloon I got after eating dinner! It's the little things in life . . . Jesus knows me. :)

770. The reminder to glorify God in the little things in life. Thanks, Oswald Chambers!


I'm not sure how Jesus works, but I know that He takes care of me, and I feel like I can see the good experiences in my life as sweet gifts from the One who gives every good and perfect gift. I think He gives them purposefully too, and in this knowledge, we can be grateful. Plus gratitude has this funny way of changing us, changing our vision. Life looks so much better through the lens of grace and gratitude . . .