Thankful Beyond Things

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  I was thinking about how my gratitude has shifted over the years.

When I was younger, I was grateful for things.  And naturally, I'm grateful for people and for God.  But my gratitude is shifting.  I spent a lot of time reflecting on what I'm truly grateful for at this season of my life.  I was surprised to see how my gratitude for these things is going deeper all the time:

• Love.  Without it, is life worth living, or even possible?
• Grace.  Because true love flows when it is deserved and when it is not.
• Forgiveness.  Life is about second chances.
• Relationship.  I am getting more joy out of some close relationships than I ever have before.
• Salvation.  That in Jesus God would deem us valuable enough to save us at great personal cost and suffering is truly mind-boggling.

Those are just a few thoughts this Thanksgiving Monday.  Where does your gratitude flow these days?