Why Gratitude Grows Our Love
The most helpless place to sit is in a hospital room with your child.
Four years ago, our 6-month-old daughter suddenly became sick with double pneumonia, requiring ICU level care–a breathing tube and ventilator. The weakness I felt was constant, as exhaustion took its toll day after day, learning all the medical jargon, persisting in prayer, and sleeping restlessly to the lullaby of the ventilator.
We came very close to losing her, a season deeply imprinted in my memories.
A gracious God
God was gracious to us in so many ways: a miraculous healing, the support of a community, and His very presence with us. He surrounded us with an army of people, who hit the floor, fervently interceding for us, as we spent the next weeks and months in hospital.
While we were in our deepest pain, the most chaotic season of our life, this community supported us in prayer, acts of kindness and words of encouragement. The church across the world set alarms, gathered together, and paused meetings, to pray for our daughter and our family.
I’ve never felt so humbled, or so loved.
The support of the church
In a battle for the promised land, Moses held his hands up to the sky, and while they were up, the Israelites were winning, yet as fatigue set in, his arms lowered and Israel began to lose ground. So, “when Moses’ arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down” (Ex 17:12, ESV). This is what the church did for us.
To know that these dear brothers and sisters in Christ, many whom I had never met, were lifting us up before the Father was the deepest expression of love I could have experienced. They took their time to put us first.
Here’s the heart of missional living, the very essence of the Gospel. That we would lay down ourselves for another, not looking only at our own interests, but also the interests of others (Phil 2:4). This is the example of Christ, as He lived and breathed a perfect life on earth, so that He could surrender it all for our redemption.
I learned through their self-sacrifice and perseverance what it means to be united, and how loving a simple, intentional prayer can be. My gratitude for these people, and their gift to us has spurred on a deeper love for the bride of Christ. The universal church is no longer a foreign concept, but has become intertwined with the story of my life.
Gratitude for the church has grown my love for her.
Gratitude for the church
Confident in the power of united prayer, and our willingness to stand in the gap for another, I am reminded that there is always a way for me to serve, there’s always a way for me to bless and encourage someone. One of those ways is prayer. As I enter the church nursery, attend Bible study or a worship service, I now see with a new light, the faces of God’s people. I pay attention for the needs of their hearts, the areas of growth to praise God for, and the points of struggle where discernment is needed.
As I witnessed answered prayers, and the sacrifices others made to put me first, my gratitude spurs on a deeper love and a deeper heart to serve. May the Lord make us “increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1Thess3:12).
Meet Amber Thiessen
A prairie girl married her sweetheart, and began an adventure on African soil, where they served as church planters for 6 years.
They family came back to the Canadian prairies in 2016, pregnant with baby number 3, into a chaotic season. At 7 months old, they almost lost her to a really bad pneumonia. She was later diagnosed with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCIDS), requiring a bone marrow transplant.
It’s a defining moment in your life, caring for a child in the hospital, yet God uses all things for His glory. She’s come out of the chaos, eyes a little scratchy from the dust storm, with a deeper love and trust in the One who shepherded them through the valleys.
She’s married to a pastor, raising her kids, and helping restore physical health as an ER nurse. You can discover her blog www.amberthiessen.com where she helps you apply the gospel to everyday life and encourages you to a life that abides in the Vine; it’s also the place where you can grab her ebook, “Expect Great Things: 10 Days Praying for Those We’ve Sent,” to equip you to pray for your missionaries.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
My vision for this gratitude series is to help others embrace a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only their own life, but the lives of their neighbors as well.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
Creating Ripples
If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
