The Journey: Week Three: One thousand Gifts

"I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30 (KJV)

Can I just say how BLESSED I am to be doing life alongside of some amazing women?? Last night we wrapped up chapter three of our study on Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts.

Chapter three, First Flight, was an uplifting and encouraging chapter. Unlike the first two chapters, which were a little more difficult to get through, this chapter felt like we FINALLY arrived at the meat of the book.

What started out as a DARE from a friend to list 1,000 things she was grateful for, truly turned into her life's mission... a "hunt" as described by Ann herself, to find all things beautiful in a messy, messy world.

We were all encouraged by the words Ann quotes on page 44 from Pierre de Caussade, "When one is thirsty one quenches one's thirst by drinking, not by reading books which treat of this condition." "If we are dying of thirst", Ann says, "passively reading books about water quenches little; the only way to quench the parched mouth is to close the book and dip the hand into water and bring it to the lips. If we thirst, we'll have to drink. I would have to DO SOMETHING."

Kind of like reading God's word. We can read the book all day long. We can memorize scripture. We can be filled with knowledge of His truths, His grace and His love... but if we want it to change us... to REALLY change us from the inside out... we have to DO something. Reading about how to walk in His love will do little for us. We have to take the first steps of obedience and faith.

And so we see Ann's list begin. This naming of 1,000 things she is grateful for:

1.) Morning shadows across the old floor.
2.) Jam piled high on toast.
3.) Cry of blue jay from high in the spruce.

And she says as she begins, "This writing it down - it is sort of like... unwrapping love."

Philippians 4:11-12 is such an inspiring piece of scripture, "I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

That boy Paul... oh he got it! I want to learn how to live this out too... don't you?

Ann says, "Gratitude in the midst of death and divorce and debt - that's the language I've got to learn to speak - because that's the kind of life I'm living, the kind I have to solve." (page 47)

And so as Martin Luther King once said, "If you want to change the world, pick up your pen."

Can it really be that simple? Perhaps!

Questions for discussion:

1.) Ann accepts a dare from a friend to begin a list, not of gifts she wants, but of gifts she already has. A gratitude list.

Have you ever made a gratitude list? If so, what prompted you to do so? How did the experience impact your relationship with God?

I can say from personal experience that starting my list of gratitude changed my life in MORE ways than I can ever tell you! I think for me, it was in the discovery of the little things I had always taken for granted. Here's some of those from my own personal journal...

11.) Smiles from a friend.
34.) Date night with the hubs.
59.) S'mores at summer bonfires.
75.) The smell of cinnamon.
93.) Air condition.
141.) Bowl full of beautiful red, ripe strawberries.

And so, too, began my list. Could I make it to 1,000? I will see. I'm on my way... 527 to be exact. And still counting.

Is it difficult? Not really. Why? Because beauty is really all around us. Every day. The question shouldn't be can we do it... instead the question ought to be, can we SLOW DOWN long enough to SEE what's been there all along?

2.) Among the first gifts on Ann's list are these:

~ Morning shadows across the old floor.
~ Jam piled high on toast.
~ Cry of blue jay from high in the spruce.
~ Leafy life scent of the florist shop.
~ Wind flying cold wild in hair.

Each gift appeals to one of the five senses - something Ann can see, taste, hear, smell or feel. Thinking back on the last 24 hours, use your senses to name five things for which you are grateful - your own mini gratitude list.

3.) In reading Philippians 4:11-12 (above), Ann discovers, "the secret to living joy in every situation, the full life of eucharisteo." It is in the apostle Paul's statement, "I have learned" (page 47). Take a moment to think of a few things that have brought joy or a feeling of contentment to your life recently. Did you have to learn these things or work at them, or did they just happen, like happy coincidences? How do you understand the relationship between learning or practicing gratitude and experiencing joy?

4.) "This dare to write down one thousand things I love... is a dare to name all the ways that God loves me." (page 59) How does gratitude open the door to ever-increasing awareness of God's love for you? How might you take up the dare to name the ways God loves you?

Did you ever think of it that way before? By naming all the gifts is like naming all the ways God loves YOU?

Think about that the next time you see a beautiful sunrise. When you thank God - be specific in your thankfulness. "Thank you God for giving ME this beautiful sunrise this morning!"

Or what about the next time you hear a beautiful song on the radio. When you thank God - be specific. "Thank you God for giving ME this beautiful song today. The words are so encouraging... it was JUST what I needed!"

I believe NOTHING makes God more pleased with us than when we receive each gift He gives with an offer of Thanksgiving. Pure Eucharisteo. THIS is receiving His grace. THIS is FULL living. Joy-filled living.

And so it is with hammer that we drive the nails... to "rebuild a life - eucharisteo precedes the miracle." And it's not the blanket thanksgiving that changes lives. It is the specificity of each gift. "Life-changing gratitude", Ann says, "does not fasten to a life unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time."

It's "when I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, that I make a place for God to grow within me." If I am serious about changing... for bettering my life... for making a difference... than it has to start with my thankfulness for even the seemingly microscopic.

Ann closes the chapter with a statement... a powerful statement... "... life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change." (page 61)

Thank you for joining us on our journey to joy through gratitude!

Below is the video from week three. (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog to pause the music from my playlist in order to hear this video.)

One Thousand Gifts- Chapter Three from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Finding JOY in the JOurneY,