{my graphics are free goodies for you}
Despite the holidays pics we may see on Instagram and Pinterest, I’m learning giving thanks isn’t always tidy. Mine is often more like the popsicle stick craft gone terribly wrong than the perfect, Martha-Stewart-approved creations I sometimes see. Yep, gratitude sounds simple but it can be awkward and messy. It takes guts and courage.
During one hard holiday season I felt as split wide open by hurt as the poor turkey on the table. When I tried to be grateful the feelings wouldn’t come. I was ashamed of this. Wouldn’t a good Christian be able to be grateful even now?
Then God, in all His gracious tenderness, began showing me that gratefulness is a decision and not an emotion. He understood that my heart and mind and body were in a hard fight. He didn’t demand that I dance across the battlefield as arrows whizzed by me. He knew the best I could do most days was stand my ground and that when I said, “Thank You, God, that You are still good” through gritted teeth with tears streaming down my face and dirt on my knees, it was an act of worship.
Sometimes gratitude looks like sitting down to a meal with those we love, holding a butter knife and spreading goodness across a hot roll. But sometimes it’s holding a sword of truth and being at war; it’s fighting the darkness with every bit of our hearts and souls. Perhaps our gratitude isn’t always Pinterest-perfect…but it’s always deeply powerful.
What’s one thing you’re grateful for today?
XOXO
Holley Gerth
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This post is part of a series based on my exclusive, limited-time only ebook, Hope for the Holidays. You’ll get it free when you order Hope Your Heart Needs: 52 Encouraging Reminders of How God Cares for You, a little devotional that’s big on encouragement and perfect for Christmas gifts. Get all the details about the free ebook here.
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