The Things I Only See with a Grateful Heart

A grateful heart sees the beneath—the true, the pure, the original, and the restoration back to our Creator’s first intent. We spent last week turning to the one deserving of all our thanks—directed our thanks to Him for who He is. This remembering, this slow savor of the essence of God, it awakens awareness, invokes our worship, and fills us with gratitude and awe. God is—and we are humbled and laid bare. God is—and we trace through pages past and know an unchanging God is present in the open chapter. He is here, and He is God, and He is good.

The one who is most worthy

This morning I read these words, paused to underline them blue:

Praise forever Jehovah-God, the God of Israel!
He is the one and only God of wonders,
surpassing every expectation.
The blazing glory of his name will be praised forever!
May all the earth overflow with his glory!
Faithful is our King! Amen!

Psalm 72:18-19, TPT

Here in the wonder I pause. Press in. Experience more. Open more.

My heart—now alive. Softened with expectancy.

My vision clears to see You here in the everyday.

Believing leads to seeing

Something more shifts too, brushes past the layers of who I’ve said I am—who I’ve believed I am.

He is near –and I am worth pursuing.

He is faithful – and I am never left alone.

He is King – and I surrender and am filled.

He is Shepherd – and I am safe and surrounded, the recipient of His selfless giving.

He is magnificent – and I am awakening to behold His wonder, His beauty, His brilliance. There is none like Him.

He is generous – and I know He sees me as priceless, precious, beloved.

He is patient – and I see how I move His heart.

He is love – and I am at rest, knowing I am the recipient of His affection.

The more fully I know God, the more rightly I see myself. Created is known in light of the Creator—yet too often I try to define for myself who I am.

What my heart is really lacking

I compare—and find myself lacking. I see the ways I am discontent, ingenuine, and distracted—and I despair. Pride pushes me to pose, but I feel merely like an imposter.

Always, everywhere, the lack—but the true lack is the lack of Him.

Oh, that I might give voice to words long-ago penned by King David in Psalm 62:7: “God’s glory is all around me! His wrap-around presence is all I need . . .”

God in His glory is here—but am I willing to see it?

A heart that sees

Gratitude, it always paves a way to see deeper. I give thanks for everyday things—gifts I too often fail to see as gifts—and it opens my eyes to more clearly see how God gifts only good things. How even I am a gift—a good gift.

Here, in Psalm 61:3, I return to the word beloved: “You have heard my sweet resolutions to love and serve you, for I am your beloved.”

And I discover more promise-laden Psalms:

To the fatherless he is a father.
To the widow he is a champion friend.
To the lonely he makes them part of a family.
To the prisoners he leads into prosperity until they sing for joy.

Psalm 68:5-6a TPT

I am loved by my Father God.

I am a friend of God’s.

I am fought for, cheered for, and celebrated.

I am part of God’s family—adopted, chosen, redeemed, renamed.

I am set free, filled with joy, and led with love.

I cried aloud to him with all my heart and he answered me! Now my mouth overflows with the highest praise.

Psalm 66:17 TPT

I arrest God’s attention. He hears me and He answers me.

You are my Savior and I’m always in your thoughts.

Psalm 70:5 TPT

I am saved—from all the things that separate me from God. I can draw close—be near Him. And He never stops thinking about me.

Soaking in gratitude

Today, if it’s hard for you to see yourself as worth fighting for—as worth God fighting for you, I invite you to press pause on the inner critic that paints you as unlovable, unworthy, helpless, or hopeless. Instead of looking at ourselves through that ever-treacherous lens of comparison, let’s instead turn our attention on God. Begin to name characteristics, or attributes of God. As we list them, let’s give our thanks to God for who He is.

You are my Father, and how I am grateful that You love me tenderly!

You are my Savior. You have invited me into wholeness and new life—thank you!

You are my Champion. I’m grateful that with You all things are possible!

You are the Bread of Life. All I need is found in You. My heart is full and grateful that You satisfy. Always.

You are the Healer. You heal wholly and You hold me close—and I thank you!

Next, let’s pause again, but this time in silence. Let’s invite God to tell us who we are, and then give Him space to speak.

If this is new to you, I encourage you to spend a moment with your eyes closed and your hands held open. I’ve found that I’m less distracted and therefore more able to discern God’s voice when I close my eyes. Physically opening my hands is a conscious choice to be open. Expectant. Ready to receive. Adopting this posture helps me tune out distraction and quiet my heart to listen.

Journaling is another way to lean into listening to God. To try it, again start with inviting God to talk to you about who you are. Then begin to write. Don’t overthink; simply write whatever comes to mind. God’s voice can often come soft and subtle, nearly indistinguishable from our own thoughts. But God’s words don’t condemn, compare, or confuse. They point all glory to God, filling us with awe instead of pride. Likewise, they remain consistent with what He has already spoken through Scripture. And they always invite us to look, think, and act more like Him.

What is true of me

As we focus this week on what is true of us because of what’s true of God, we find we must press ever deeper into who God is. All that’s true of us is true because of who God is and what He’s done for us. Our identity, our value, our mission—it’s all found in Him. He pursues us, calls us to Himself, and invites us to join Him in His mission to make disciples all across the earth—in every little, ordinary corner of the earth.

Cultivating a practice of gratitude is like heart maintenance. We keep pressing into gratitude because it softens our heart and increases our awareness of God. Further, we can more clearly see who we are in Christ when we have a grateful heart. And when we know who we are, we can actually begin to live like we are His.

A prayer of blessing

Let’s end our time today with a prayer of blessing. Would you also join me in praying this week for all who are asking God, perhaps for the first time, what He says is true of them?

Jesus, You are the root of all that is true, all that is good, all that is pure. May we see it today. We open our hearts and our hands to You and we ask You, Lord, to reveal to us what is true—true of You, true of us because of You, and true, too, of each and every person You’re ever created. May we not just know in our heads who You say we are, but really believe it deep down inside. May our hearts be grateful and alive and at rest as we cease the hurried striving and pause to simply lean in and listen to You. In Your holy and precious name, we pray, Lord, amen.

P.S. Did you know The Uncommon Normal is also a podcast? Tune in on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or Spotify.

Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited or purchase on Kindle ($3.99) or as a paperback ($5.99). Group study questions included.