As I am writing this, we have just taken out the Middle School Chapel band to thank them for the effort and work they have put into our chapel services this term and this year. It has been so great to serve God alongside those amazing, talented and faithful young people. It was a fantastic opportunity to thank them and thank God for them and we really felt the love around the table.
Something I have learned this year is that if you don’t stop once in a while to be thankful it is easy to get swept away with life’s busyness. Then you end up not only hurried and stressed, but also quick and easy to snap.
That’s not what God wants for any of us. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
God’s will is that no matter what we are going through, we would be able to find something to thank Him for. And there are many, many reasons we have to thank God for every day at GCC.
We give thanks for a great country where we can be free to love God and tell young people about Jesus. We give thanks for the wonderful opportunities we have in serving God here at GCC. We give thanks for our incredible team of pastors, for each other and for the great teams of students we get to lead every week. We give thanks for the great resources and we give thanks for an amazing and supportive school community. We give thanks for our strong partnership with our local church. We give thanks to God for Jesus, who would use us in His Kingdom mission, even though we are far from perfect.
Thankfulness encourages us to keep moving forward. Psalm 107:1 says “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” If we can just remind ourselves that there’s more to life than busyness, then won’t we be so much better equipped to deal with life in the ups and downs?
My challenge for you these school holidays is to stop and give thanks.
Give thanks for your family. Give thanks for your friends. Give thanks for your team. Give thanks for Jesus.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
Pastor Isaiah Logan