Yesterday everything everywhere was covered in expressions of thanks for objects both tangible and intangible.
This is great, and as it should be. At dinner with my husband, we sat down and recounted what we’re grateful for right now, too. As we went over the list, I joked, “Six months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d be grateful for half of this.”
It’s true. Six months ago, I’d lost my job. Six months ago, I hadn’t perceived that I’d have a new job to be grateful for, and even if I did, I wouldn’t have imagined what it has turned out to be. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined myself conquering the fears I have. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined the opportunities that have been presented to me.
Everything that I’m grateful for now was unexpected.
And it makes me think: when we’re thankful, we’re always being grateful for what we already have or know about. But isn’t it worth thanking God, too, for everything that we don’t know is coming? Because the greatest treasures of our lives we frankly can’t imagine.
The best gifts of your life are ahead of you. (You can’t imagine what they are yet).
The biggest and wildest surprises are set up for you. (Really, you have no idea).
The realization of all your hopes and some of the down-on-earth joys and wonders are waiting for you in the years to come. (And you won’t even see them coming).
When we’re thankful for what is, it’s also good to be thankful for what will be. And beyond the greatest gifts that wait ahead – encountering God face to face, the time when tears and sorrows cease, coming into the potential of what He has made us to be – I guarantee you there are sweet, surprising little wonders hidden in the wings of this earthly life. You don’t know what they are yet, but say a prayer of gratitude for them.
Because God is a giver of good things: He was, He is, and He always will be. And waiting in the expectation of that is a marvelous way to live.
Samaritan's Song 