"Grateful"

I was born in Alabama,

And for that I’m grateful, see,

‘Cause if you’re not from Texas,

Then from there you want to be.

I’m grateful my upbringing,

Was southern with its charm,

And though it wasn’t perfect.

It did more good than harm.

I’m grateful I had parents,

Who worked and worshipped hard,

I’m glad that we had huntin’ dogs,

A-fillin’ up our yard.

And out there in the country,

I’m thankful I was raised,

With cattle, horses, cowboys,

For that the Lord be praised.

Thank God I rode good horses,

And worked beside good men,

Who understood the cowboy way,

And helped me learn and then,

Encouraged me when I was young,

And led me to believe,

That everything they showed me,

I could soon achieve.

I’m thankful that a Christian man,

God sent into our town,

Spoke to me the gospel truth,

And my heart came around,

To all the news he told us,

The Lord changed everything,

I thank God for salvation,

And the peace and joy it brings.

I thank God for my family,

For my kids and grandkids, too,

And for my Texas beauty,

Whose heart is always true.

For every special blessing,

For our land and home and stock,

For the Holy Spirit’s power,

And all that makes life rock.

For the chance I have to preach the Word,

To pastor, pray and lead,

To point folks to the grace of God,

Who meets our every need.

And I thank God for heaven,

For our home up in the sky,

And assurance that we’re going,

When Christ comes or if we die.

For everything that’s beautiful,

He authors all you see,

The wonder and the wonderful,

All for you and me.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.” (James 1:17-18, NLT)

An attitude of gratitude flows from the awareness that every good and perfect gift comes from God the Father. The air we breathe, the ability to work and accomplish, the miracles- both practical and phenomenal- have a divine origin. Gratitude for all this washes out every negative that competes with it- complaint, argument, entitlement and all the rest. Living a profoundly grateful life lifts us to the atmosphere of heaven even when dealing with the meanness of hell. The grateful are graced right along with the humble.

Lord, help us cultivate and attitude of gratitude, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mikel Donahue, used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.