Numbers

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: Numbers as in… three numbers for Thanksgiving.

First, 365.

This the number of days in a year. The number of days since we last gathered for a feast of giving thanks for family and friendship, thanks for life, health and breath, thanks for the gifts of each one. Each day a gift, each day, a blank canvas to create something of beauty to bless the lives of others. At some point in our collective Thanksgiving celebration, it might be good to settle back for just a moment and consider all the ways God has been faithful. And then to commit to practicing this each day, not just once a year, but every day, giving thanks.

Second, 86,400.

This is the number of seconds in each day. It seems like a large number, but they go by so quickly, don’t they? In fact, in the time it took for you to read and then comprehend the previous two sentences, we’ve already spent 12 of those 86,400 seconds. So I’d better get to the point, right? 86,400 seconds in each day not only think about gratitude, but to express it. When we do that, things change. Studies show that practicing gratitude changes our lives. We’re healthier, we live longer, blood pressure goes down, quality of life goes up, and relationships are strengthened. When we tell someone that we’re grateful for them, that we’re so glad they’re in our lives, it’s becomes another way to say, “I love you.” When we express gratitude to God and one another, when we speak gratitude into the world right here and right now, we we’re making a better world.

Third, 1.

Let us be thankful boys and girls, for this one day, for this one moment. Let us be thankful for all the ones we care about and love, as well as for those we may not know, but with whom we share life. Let us be thankful, and filled with love for the One in whose name we give thanks, for the One who gives us life and breath each second, each day, each year.

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50works project, where be blogs about a different word each day. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche), or on his blog, Thriving Rhythms.