When Gratitude Wells Up

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There are times in life when gratitude wells up—when something gives you sudden perspective and you not only understand, but you experience in the depths of your soul God’s abiding presence in all things.  In such moments, you are embraced the blessedness of every experience, of each relationship.

Today as I prepare to travel to Madagascar with our Rocky Mountain Synod delegation to visit our companion synods, I want to give voice to the gratitude welling up within me.  On this day, I am particularly grateful for:
  • my colleagues in the Rocky Mountain Synod Office of the Bishop who serve with faithfulness, commitment, and passion.  I am so appreciative of their collective energy, patience, and good humor.
  • our pastors and other rostered leaders, called to bear witness to the gospel through the joys, demands, and opportunities of daily ministry.  I am thankful for the way these leaders strive to model what it means to be followers of Christ—equipped by the Spirit, simultaneously sinner and saint, renewed each day by Water, Word and Table.
  • our Conference Deans who are willing to engage in meaningful conversation about our life in the RMS in ways that both challenge and build us up.
  • our Synod Council leaders, including our RMS Officers and Executive Committee who offer their gifts for the sake of helping us stay connected and are willing to wrestle with the nitty-gritty of being church together.
  • our congregations throughout this vast synod: those that are thriving show us what can happen when the people of God are swept up in the Spirit’s call.
  • those that are struggling in these changing times help us discern what is ultimately important about being church.
  • those that are in crisis help us come to terms with what it means to actually trust God and love one another.
  • our Outdoor Ministries and our Youth and Education leaders as they bring the wonder of God’s love alive to countless youth and adults through camping ministry, Vacation Bible School, mission trips, and countless other summer activities.
  • our partners in ministry, who extend our reach—especially our Lutheran Social Service agencies who continue to respond to those whose lives have been impacted by disasters like wildfires.
  • our church—the ELCA—a people with a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.  Even when we struggle, I am sustained by a fervent belief that we have a vital witness to share and a powerful role to play in this complex 21st century world.

There is certainly more I could add—when gratitude wells up, it flows outward endlessly.  Why not add your voice?  For what are you grateful today?

Yours in Faith,

Bishop Jim Gonia

Comments

Unknown said…
The smell of rain in Santa Fe and the hope that showers of water will quench the flames of fire.
5:53 PM
Laurie Lavine said…
Phil and I are grateful for Juan Sanchez, a young man we first met in Houston when he was 14 who became an honorary member of our family. He has shown us the virtue of perseverance in the face of many obstacles. Today we are attending his Master's Degree graduation.
9:48 AM
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