Get Missional: Week 5 of The Uncommon Normal #GratitudeRipples Challenge

May I take a moment to say thanks, to you? You keep showing up, sharing your #GratitudeRipples posts, and I see how your words have encouraged others. It’s beautiful—your words, your stories, your choice to embrace gratitude this month.

You’re creating ripples. You may never know exactly how far they’ll reach, or how many more ripples you’ll spark by simply letting the work God is doing inside you overflow. But you’re here for all of it. It’s an honor to cheer you on.

How did it feel to make extra space to say thanks? To get still, get rooted, get curious, and get relational?

Gratitude gives more than it takes.

The thing about gratitude is it gives bountifully more than it takes. I hope you’ve been discovering that.

We give gratitude a little time, a little intentionality, and it begins to grow. As the roots push deeper into our hearts, they reveal where we’re quick to compare, complain, believe a lie, give in to fear, or choose offense over forgiveness. Gratitude is a kind guide that leads us to the feet of Jesus, where we find hope, healing, and so much grace.

Gratitude is a kind guide that leads us to the feet of Jesus, where we find hope, healing, and so much grace.

From this place, nestled near the Healer, Hope-Giver, and King of our Heart, we’re positioned to look through His eyes. See what He sees. See how He sees.

Emulating Jesus.

Getting close to Jesus affects our relationships because we’ve gotten a glimpse of the value Jesus sees in each person. We become better listeners, curiosity-followers, compassion-showers, hope-sharers.

The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we emulate Him. And the more we emulate Him, the more we adopt His mission to fill the earth with His glory so more may find their way to Him.

Giving God the glory is a natural overflow, not guilt-ridden obedience or an attempt to earn His love. With Jesus, there are no pre-requisites, red tape, or hoops to dance through. He loves us freely and fully. Unconditionally. And we get to thank Him!

Voiced gratitude is contagious. We name our thanks and it helps others find the voice to name their own gifts too. Name the small gifts and it shines a light to find many more. Name the nevertheless gifts—the good found in the cracked surfaces and question marks and ampersands—and it helps others find gratitude in their in-between places.

Here’s our why found right here in 1 Peter 2:9,

But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world.
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As we root deep into Christ and let what He grows inside us spill out like a light that can’t be contained, we invite others to point the glory to God too.

Let’s take the words in Matthew 5:16 to heart:

So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.
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We’ve been commissioned to be light-bearers, hope-bringers, and ripple-starters because the One with unspeakable glory lives within us.

Your challenge: get missional.

Your challenge, beginning with these last two days of November, is to get missional. Lean into the work God is doing inside you and let it ripple out to the people near you. Missional living is a direction, not a destination, so take it just one small yes at a time. Stay close to Jesus, and let Him guide you.

Our gratitude prompts to close out November are

Mission – 11/29

Everyday—11/30

This is not the end, but only the very, very beginning.

If you’d like further guidance to help you adopt missional living rhythms, check out my 30-day devotional, Cultivating a Missional Life. It’s available on Amazon, and you can also get a free download of the first week here.

My prayer for you this week is that gratitude will help you see the gifts God’s generously given so you can praise Him in the presence of others. May you see through the grace-lens that gratitude lends. May the light within you shine brightly. May your words be laced with hope and overflowing with life. May you trust God to faithfully lead you to each next yes.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

Word-of-the-year ideas!

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