Gratitude
About a year ago, our pastor challenged us to focus on gratitude to start off 2025.
It was a simple challenge…each day, for 28 days, write down (3) things we have gratitude to the Lord for from that day.
Here’s the video of that message (all cued up) if you’d like to hear it in full detail:
So, I bought a little green palm-sized notebook and pen, and for 28 days straight, I tried to be faithful in writing 3 things down. I even kept it on my nightstand so I was less apt to forget to write in it.
Well, it must have helped because those 28 days, turned into a full month, then 2 months, 3 months, and now…I have a year’s worth of gratitude logged!
Let’s do some quick calculations…365 days X 3 things = 1,095 moments of gratitude in 2025!
Even if I had just stuck with the 28 days, I still would have had a list of 84 moments of gratitude! What a way to start the year!
Throughout this journey, I have noticed a number of things with this “homework” assignment.
AWARENESS: I found that I paid more attention to what was happening in my life that God was blessing me with. I even found myself paying attention to the seemingly small things that tend to be overlooked on a daily basis, like functional heat in your car on a cold winter’s day.
FAMILY: I care a lot about my family. More specifically, their safety. It could be because between Amanda and I, we have 6 young adults usually off in different directions, and I’m grateful when they return home to us safe, or are in our space.
FOOD: I love food! Many of my gratitudes are food-centric. It might sound silly, but food is crazy when you trace it back to the source. For example, pizza. I LOVE pizza!
There are people behind the ingredients for the crust, behind the tomatoes that turned into sauce, the work to turn milk into cheese, and even the process of meat into pepperoni. What about the pizza place that knows the perfect ratios to pull them all together and run though an oven (designed and built by many people) until cooked to perfection and ultimately placed in a cardboard box (also designed and built by many people) for me to take home to my family and enjoy. God is through it all. Yes, really.
So, where do we go from here? Couple of things.
YOU: You’re in my gratitude journal! I’ve thanked God a number of times for you. Your kindness to me, to Amanda and I, to each other. Your support of Joy99, which supports my career and provides for my family. Your patronage of Joy99 advertisers, which continues to strengthen these businesses and organizations, their community support of Joy99, and allows YOU to financially support ministries of your choosing.
ADVERTISERS: You’re in my gratitude journal too! Without your partnership, the ministry of Joy99 can’t happen. Your support fuels the efforts of Joy99 to fulfill our mission of bringing JOY to every person we meet! Whether it’s music or conversation on-air, contests and games, live broadcasts, concerts and events, or the adventures of the JoyBus, advertisers like YOU help make it all possible. Thank you!
JOYUARY: Throughout the month of January, we want to help you choose JOY daily. There are a couple of different ways to get involved.
First…I encourage you to explore the Joy99 30-Day Listening Challenge. Commit to listen to Joy99 for 30 Days to experience the impact it can have on your life. Learn more HERE!
Second…I encourage you to join us through weekly focus during Joyuary. We’ll also be encouraging you to journal throughout the month. Learn more HERE!
Third…I encourage you to pass along some of the JOY you find into our effort to sponsor 1,000 JoyJars to deliver to children facing cancer journeys. Learn more HERE!
Oh, before I wrap up…one more thing. A piece of encouragement for those that may find themselves in a challenging season.
My 2025 wasn’t perfectly full of JOY. I had some really rough days. Looking back on those days, I still managed to find 3 Things to be grateful to the Lord for. Looking back on these days in my gratitude journal, I can see a “fingerprint” of God’s love and kindness in my life and it was within gratitude of these things that I found hope and encouragement to carry me through, which ultimately led me to finding JOY in that difficult season.
JOY is always there, you just might have to look for it in ways you didn’t expect.
Thanks for reading,
~Jeremy