What are you thankful for today? Or maybe the question is – Are you thankful today? Thankfulness is really a state of mind. It is something to be mindful of every minute of the day, really with every breath we breathe. We are never promised the next one, so be thankful for the ones you are breathing now.

Have you ever been through a trial? If you say NO, you are lying. Make a list of some of them now, even as far back as your childhood. 

When I woke up this morning, I remembered a sermon my Dad preached when I was growing up. He talked about these words that appear in the bible – “and it came to pass” – these words appear 120 times in the KJV. Think back on your life and the difficulties you faced. These things came but eventually passed. 

The story is told of a Sunday class that had been asked the question, “in your time of discouragement, what is your favorite Scripture?” A young man said, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1.” A middle age woman said, “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1″ Another woman said, “In this world you shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world. John 16:33-35″

Then John, an 80 year old man said, “’and it came to pass’ appears 120 times in the bible.” The class started to laugh a little, thinking that old John’s lack of memory was getting the best of him. When the snickering stopped, he said, “At 30 I lost my job with six hungry mouths and a wife to feed. I didn’t know how I would make it. At 40 my eldest son was killed overseas in the war. It knocked me down. At 50 my house burned to the ground. Nothing was saved out of the house. At 60 my wife of 40 years got cancer. It slowly ate away at her. We cried together many a night on our knees in prayer.

At 65 she died. I still miss her today. The agony I went through in each of these situations was unbelievable. I wondered where God was, but each time I looked in the bible I saw one of those verses that said, ‘and it came to pass.’ I felt that God was telling me, my pain and my circumstances were also going to pass, and that God would get me through it. He Did!”

You might be facing some things in your life right now. Remember the markers in your life that you saw things pass, things that you are now beyond and looking back to see God’s faithfulness. Let this give you an attitude of thankfulness, take a minute now and next to your list of trials, make a list of what you are thankful for. 

As you go about your day, be mindful of gratitude. Even the smallest things remind us that God is with us, that He is there when things come at us, He is there when they pass, and most important, He is there in the middle of it all.

Scott Mills – Chief Engagement Officer and Owner – Engage Media Partners