[step by step. day by day]

I'm learning that growing in Christ is a process. And it happens in small steps. Not giant leaps.

Like thankfulness. I've been convicted lately about my ungrateful heart and attitude on a lot of things, so I took a friend's suggestion and started thanking God for 100 things every day - even things I wasn't particularly thankful for. I prayed for a thankful heart, yes, but I didn't leave it at that. And it didn't happen overnight.

The next day I thanked Him for even exit signs and then found myself frustrated with Sudanese culture only two hours later. Eight days later I was trying to get groceries with a Korean woman in a sleet storm and commented on the less than ideal weather only to hear her pipe up, "It's a great day if you have friends!" Thanks God.

Yet after 10 days I find myself scraping frost off my car at 5:15 a.m. before spinning class and immediately thanking God for ice scrappers without even thinking about it. And then thanking Him that I have electricity when the light stops working in our bathroom later, realizing that it's starting to become a natural response to little things for me.

And while I don't claim to have an incredibly, filled-to-the-brim, more than thankful heart yet, I can see God changing it step by step, opportunity by opportunity.

Oftentimes we pray for miracles. My heart to become thankful over night. Salvation for a close friend. Healing of a disease or sickness right now. And while we should not stop believing in miracles, I have learned it is just as important to pray for opportunities. Opportunities to thank God instead of complain. Opportunities to share truth with that close friend. Opportunities for God to give a sick person peace, comfort and trust in Him regardless of how things look from our perspective.

Then we gotta take 'em. Take 'em when God gives 'em, and thank Him for that, all the while remembering that the journey is valuable beyond our vision right here and now. Thanks God for continuing to teach me that.