Lately, my efforts to determine subjects to write about seem for naught. My life currently offers little that feels worthy of writing out. But just this afternoon, before deciding to forgo a week, a glimmer of a topic captured my attention. My sails found enough wind to haul me out of the stillness where words fall short.

I describe myself as thick-skulled. My whole life serves to verify my assertion. I need to hear things again and again before ideas start to register. Often, the umpteenth hearing of a thing finally prompts me to take whatever it is seriously. Until that number of hearings, lots of great ideas pass me by.

We sang Brandon Lake’s song “Gratitude” at an event I attended over the weekend. Then today, I heard the entire song on the way to work and again on the way to the gym. At the third random hearing of the song in such a short period of time I decided to take notice.

All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?

I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do

Songwriters: Benjamin William Hastings, Brandon Lake, Dante Bowe

The very beginning of the song lands squarely where I feel a lot of the time. Except, I get stuck at that place. And, worshipping seldom becomes my go-to.

Granted, the writers wrote the whole song about being able to adequately express our gratefulness to God. However, recognizing our need to be grateful in the first place becomes a fantastic place to start.   

How often do you think about how good God is to you? Do you, like me, forget to remember?

My Type A personality likes to pattern my days very much one like the other. From the midst of all the sameness comes a lazy mindset. Life starts feeling like the times when I show up at places in town with no recollection of the drive there. My traverse through life can feel like I have engaged some sort of life autopilot.

As good as life autopilot sounds, that style of living breeds danger. We stand to lose much when we fail to be grateful for all our blessings. God blesses us daily, regardless of what the day holds, with love and life.

The song goes on to say, “So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again,
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, And I know it’s not much but I’ve nothing else fit for a King, except for a heart singing hallelujah.”

How are you today? Do you have enough wind in your sails? When did you last praise God for His goodness in your life? Start there, and I will too. His mercies are new each day.

Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for his mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness!

Lamentations 3:22-23