The Little Things Are Important – Here’s Why
I rubbed my hands over my face. A big sigh followed a long wind of complaints that came out of my mouth as I waited on my sister to get ready. She made us late (again). My mom’s complaints about the house never being clean was a hint I needed to finish my list of chores. And my dad’s consistent questioning interrupted any hope I had of focusing on assignments I needed to get done.
A few months later I packed up my room and moved to Gainesville for school. I was on my own, making adult decisions and doing adult things. I didn’t go back home for two months the first semester. I was trying to find the balance of chores, school, extra curriculars and making all of those decisions and managing my time. I didn’t realize two months could allow me to redefine my definition of what being thankful truly means.
I no longer had a sister to do things with. I didn’t have a mom to remind me that the floor needed to be vacuumed, the dishwasher needed to be unloaded, and the laundry needed to be washed. And I didn’t have a dad to fill the silence when I was alone, and it got quiet at night.
I think it can be easy to base how thankful we are on our circumstances- being on time, a clean house or how productive we can be. It’s easy to define thankfulness as a feeling reflective of the season we’re in. I’ve learned that being thankful is an attitude, not just how I feel.
I can’t base how thankful I am on how I feel in the moment because my emotions can change in an instant. It’s like when I’m watching “The Notebook.” One minute I’m enjoying the movie; and next thing you know I’m two feet deep into the toilet paper roll, and my eyes can’t make out anything on the TV screen (I’m still not over how devastating that movie is).
My emotions are temporary, but it’s easy to let them cloud my vision and judgment. I need to step away from my feelings and look at the truth.
When I look at how God has worked, who He is, and His promises, my eyes can clearly see the blessings God has placed in my life despite the obstacles in my season. Our blurred vision becomes clear and we can see the picture a little better.
I also can’t measure how thankful I am on a scale of failure to perfection. This is a fast slip into thinking everything in life has to go the way we imagine. We crave the satisfaction of fulfilling what we want to happen. We don’t want anything messy and complicated that isn’t what we planned.
When we learn to see the messy, not-so perfect moments in life as an opportunity, we can praise the Lord for the wonderful blessings He’s put in our lives. We can ask Him to continue to use us how He wants for His glory. Find beauty in the chaos, joy in imperfection and contentment with the present moment.
I’m in my third semester of school now; and I still haven’t mastered the perfect balance of everything, but I’ve managed to find a routine that works pretty well. Despite all the changes I’ve experienced, one of the biggest has been how I define what I’m thankful for.
I’m thankful for every season of life. The hard seasons make me rely more on Jesus and the good ones give me more reason to praise Him. Thankfulness to me means seeing the blessings and finding joy. I find thankfulness not in material possessions, how well I perform, or how productive I can be. I find it in the little things.
I find it in driving around at sunset with my sister with the windows down and the radio up (we battle to see who can make all the guitar hits to “She’s Country” by Jason Aldean). I find it in sitting on the couch with my mom when we read our devotions for the morning (we’re the early risers). I find it in riding in the truck with my dad on our way to the gym (even when he blares ACDC as we enter the parking lot).
All of these little things turn into big things: memories I treasure, conversations I hold onto and time spent with people I love. This thanksgiving, I’m thankful for visits home.
I have a sister who still makes me late to everything but who is my best friend, a mom who still reminds me to clean every part of the house but knows I’m capable of doing things myself, and a dad who still asks a ton of questions but makes me laugh like no one else. I’m thankful for the little things- imperfections, chaos and all.
Be thankful for the little things. They end up being the big things that mean the most.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1
