With a Thankful Heart
“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
Just like that, it is the end of October. Another month of being a Greensboro Fellow has passed. Someone please slow it down (no, like actually). I know it's only month 2, but I am already not looking forward to Fellows being over. I honestly had a really hard time trying to decide what to write about for this blog post. So much has happened and it has all just been so good! My brain was racing through all of the reasons that I have loved Fellows, but I truly could not focus on one reason. Instead, I have decided to write about my thankfulness for all of it! Among the many ways the Lord has been shaping me, the greatest has been growing my heart in thankfulness. I was struck on our orientation retreat by how much we thanked the Lord. Before each meal we had and still have together, the Fellows do a gratitude circle. In this circle, we go around the room and say one thing we are thankful for before we pray over the meal. This can include anything from our health, a family member, the weather, walks, time with each other, facetime calls, etc. We also pray by responding to the prompts, “God we are thankful for...” and “God, you are...”. The repetition of these gratitude circles and prayers have made me realize how I have largely lacked thanksgiving and gratitude to God in my life. Life just seemed to be so busy in college and the Summer going into Fellows that I had failed to stop and notice how good the Father had been and still is good to me in so many ways. Through this realization, I have begun to learn what it looks like to live every day with a thankful heart. So, I am taking the opportunity to use this blog as a chance to slow down and be attentive to all there is to be thankful for at this very moment.
At this moment I am thankful for...
Written cards and letters
Flowers from dear friends
Howard/ Mr.H/ Mr. How’s your day (I got the pleasure of dog sitting for JD recently haha)
The beautiful colors of the leaves
Sweet conversations with Ana and Tautm (shout out to my host sisters)
My corgi blankets
Water
Ceiling fans
The green sweatshirt I am wearing right now (I think it makes my eyes pop)
My sweet, hospitable parents
The best Fellows directors EVER
Weekly meetings at Green Joe’s with my lovely mentor (shout out Erin Cox)
My alma mater, GO HEELS! (even though we have now lost our winning streak)
Phone calls with friends who are far away
My sweet, loving, and hilarious other Fellows
Hugs
Warm, clean laundry
Thanks to the rhythms Madison and JD have made for the Fellows, thanksgiving has become a more regular and important part of my prayer life. Over and over again in the Bible we are reminded of how we are to respond to ALL things with thankfulness to the Lord. Do not get me wrong, not all things are going perfectly in my Fellows life. I am still learning what it looks like to extend myself grace and trust that the lives of the one’s I love are better in His hands than my own. But, we have a God who shows us that joy and suffering can co-exist. There is always a reason to be thankful, sometimes we just need to ask God for the eyes to see it.
I now encourage you to take a moment wherever you are to fill in the blank. Today, I am thankful for ______.
With a thankful heart,
Maddison Ridgill