I am a list-maker. I have lists for most everything in life—a list of addresses, a list of birthdays and anniversaries, a list of shows to watch on Netflix. I have a prayer list, a shopping list, a “Honey-do” list, a Christmas card list, and my all-important, ever-expanding list of things to do! If it has entered my brain at some point in time, it has also undoubtedly become a list. I rely on lists, I work on them constantly, and at the end of each day my trash can holds remnants of several lists that are no longer needed. Lists help me stay organized and focussed and most of the time prevent important things from falling through the cracks of my wrinkling memory.
Today on my desk I am surrounded by a list of foods for Thanksgiving, a list of gift ideas for Christmas, and a list of important events that happened so far this year in the life of my family. It’s been quite the year, this 2020. It had such a promising start before the global pandemic punched it in the gut. Suddenly a list of plans went spinning out the window as we ushered armfuls of challenges in. There are, on this 2020 list of mine, some hardships for sure—the passing of my husband’s mother, my brother-in-law, and a favorite uncle. The loss of hundreds of balsam trees from our land. What you don’t see on the list are all the things that didn’t happen as well—the events, the gatherings, the in-person connections with people. It would be easy to create a long list of 2020 sorrows and begin to focus all my thoughts on them and the pain that has resulted.
But the truth is, no matter how difficult my circumstances have been, good things have been present as well. God has been with me every moment, never losing sight of my heart or my needs. He has poured out His care in so many various ways and has showered me with gifts from His hand, just when I needed them most.
Because of that, many good things on my 2020 list of remembrances remain—birthdays that were still celebrated and anniversaries that were marked (though they looked very different this time around). Most notably, my youngest grandson, William, gave his heart to Jesus—nothing on Earth could thrill this grammy more!
The Bible tells us—
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.” - James 1:17
There is a time for grieving and sorrow for sure. There is also a time for joy and gratefulness. Sometimes they happen simultaneously. No matter the circumstances, we are never without reason to be grateful because we are never without gifts from our loving Father. There will always be good things in my life if I am willing to open my eyes and acknowledge them.
So today on my desk, I reach for one more list—a little, worn book of gratitude where for years I have been recounting gifts that have fluttered into my vision—a daughter’s random phone call, a warm cup of tea, an orange sunset splashed across the sky. This is a list I will never finish because God will never stop giving me good things. It’s a list I treasure each time I look back, remembering the abundance in my life. It’s a list that corrects my perspective and lifts my heart into genuine, ongoing thanks. It’s my favorite list of all.