Gratitude Is the Lifeline to Joyಮಾದರಿ

Day 5: Seek Him First Always

By Amanda Schneider

Read: Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Reflection:

Towards the end of 2019, I got to walk down the aisle and marry my best friend. It was one of the greatest days, committing our marriage to Christ and saying ‘forever’ to whatever lay ahead. We didn’t expect our first year to be filled with fires around the world and the Pacific Northwest, a worldwide pandemic, churches closed, and less opportunities to see friends and family. Needless to say, the newlywed life hasn’t been an easy journey.

We met in February of 2018, and at the time, I was working in a job that I was unhappy in, and Caleb knew he was about to get laid off. At the time, we had no clue what God’s plan was, but He sure did. Fast forward to us dating, and just months later, in May, Caleb’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. In June, I found out I needed major surgery, and in July, my father was in the ER. It wasn’t until December that Caleb got a job, and around that time, I was hospitalized for a terrible bout of the flu. When 2019 came along, we were STOKED. Boy, we had never been more ready for a new year. I started the year with a new job, which was a huge praise, and in May we got engaged. While we went through several bumps throughout the year, another handful of health scares for myself, an extremely sick pet, and the stress of planning a wedding—we had made it through, and I can’t say it enough—God Is Good!

I can remember it like it was yesterday; toasting in 2020 with some of our best friends from church and celebrating what an ‘awesome’ year… (it’s ok, everyone is laughing while they're reading that line). Instead, we were stuck inside, missing our loved ones, missing trips, and have now (for the second time) cancelled our honeymoon. I remember feeling sad, angry, frustrated, and emotional, but because of God’s love, I was also happy, safe, blessed, and GRATEFUL. I have a roof over my head, groceries in the refrigerator, friends who are constantly checking in, and a husband who loves me. But how in the world, during this crazy time, or really ANY crazy time, do we keep a smile on our face and our hands held high praising God, saying, ‘THANK YOU’? Well, let me share with you a tradition my husband and I have started.

One night during dinner, we decided that we were sick of being bummed out and frustrated about all the things that were going wrong. It was as if we could physically feel God giving us the heart to change in that moment, reminding us to seek Him first always. So, I took a whiteboard we keep in our kitchen and wrote down ‘Gratitude for Losses’. I asked my husband, “What do you really miss today?’ My husband mentioned that he missed ‘going to the grocery store and Costco together, whenever we want.’ I smiled. Such a simple thing, right? So then, I asked my husband, “What does this make you grateful for?’ To which he replied, ‘I’m grateful for having a job so that we can buy groceries, and I’m grateful for the time that you put into creating meals for us.’ You’ll have to pardon all the sappy lines! But, in all seriousness, this became our tradition and has been since that evening in April. Whatever we were thinking of that day, the thing we missed that was bringing us down, or making us angry—we encourage the other to replace it with something we are grateful for. We also keep it in the kitchen, so that we are reminded of it every few hours. The most rewarding part is that in everything we mention missing, we bring it back to God and His faithfulness and promises.

More than anything, I have been reminded that when we have God, we have enough.