Two simple words that sometimes slip off our tongue without even thinking about their meaning.
We say them when someone hands us our food at the drive-thru window or when the grocery store clerk hands a receipt, yet how often do we say those two simple words to the one who provides the very breath we breathe each day?
The Bible tells us that “…a man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.”
The Bible tells us that “…a man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.”
Every good thing in our lives is from God above. Our warm beds, food on our tables, air in our lungs and blood in our veins—all from a heavenly Father who loves us so much, He surrendered his son, Jesus.
We have daily treasures to be thankful for, but our world does not demonstrate much gratitude. Our hearts have hardened to the gifts God has given. Instead, we tend to hurt others in our efforts to be independent, powerful and resistant to whatever cause seems to be trending on social media. It’s sad to see some celebrate theft, looting, vandalism and murder when the Bible makes it clear that evil comes from evil and good comes from God.
As writers, our responsibility is to create stories reflecting God’s mercy. To show the change in our characters when they surrender to His will. To give thanks when the dark moments our characters experience are transformed by the godly choices they make and yes, we must create evil difficulties, to demonstrate the power of God in life.
Thankfulness does not come naturally to us or our characters. In fact, God’s been working to help me recognize all the many things I have because of His generosity.
Here are a few steps I’ve implemented to create a heart of gratitude in my life each day.
1) Open the day with thanking God for forgiveness and His salvation.
2) Name off the blessings and provisions God has given me.
3) Look up in a Bible app on my phone, one verse that promotes a heart of gratitude.
4) Thank God again, when I close my eyes at night, for his goodness and protection.
Maybe if we each begin to appreciate who God is and all He does for us, then His love will flow to the rest of the hurting world, bringing peace to many souls and thanksgiving to our hearts.
A thankful heart to God will bring peace to the soul. @shannon_redmon @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #gratitude
Shannon Redmon remembers the first grown up book she checked out from the neighborhood book mobile. A Victoria Holt novel with romance, intrigue, dashing gentlemen and ballroom parties captivated her attention. For her mother, the silence must have been a pleasant break from non-stop teenage chatter, but for Shannon, those stories whipped up a desire and passion for writing. There’s nothing better than the power of a captivating novel, a moving song or zeal for a performance that punches souls with awe. A rainbow displayed after a horrific storm or expansive views on a mountaintop bring nuggets of joy into our lives. Shannon hopes her stories immerse readers into that same kind of amazement, encouraging faith, hope and love, guiding our hearts to the One who created us all.
Shannon’s writing has been published in Spark magazine, Splickety magazine, the Lightning Blog, The Horse of My Dreams compilation book, and the Seriously Write blog. Her stories have been selected as a semi-finalist and finalist of the ACFW Genesis Contest and won first place in the Foundation’s Awards.
Shannon has a horse story included in a compilation with other authors published by Revell. The Horse of My Dreams
She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
Connect with Shannon:
The StoryMoore Blog, named in memory of her father, Donald Eugene Moore
