Give Thanks Up…
Happy May 1st! Christmas seems like ages ago but knowing summer is just around the corner has got me wondering where the time has gone. What do the months of May and June look like for you? Are you winding down regular programming? Are you gearing up for summer? Whatever you might be planning, we know that all of your wonderful ideas will need helping hands to make it happen. It can be hard to find people be a part of the mission. But, when you find them - wow - they are such an answer to prayer!
I invite you to take a moment and reflect on this past year. Is there a volunteer that comes to mind that has really surprised you (in a good way;)? Is there a moment where you went ‘Thank you Jesus for this team member’? None of us are in ministry by accident. And that includes your team members as well - no one is there just by chance.
We know it isn’t always ‘rainbows and butterflies’. This. Is. Hard. Work. Sometimes we get caught up in the tasks, the to-dos and the mess of it all. There are those moments though when you see first hand something wonderful unfold. You know that it is only because of God that it took place. What a privilege to witness God’s handiwork up close!
It’s so busy. We know. But, it is good for us to stop and give thanks. It is good to pause and reflect on the goodness we have bared witness to throughout the year. It is humbling to see God’s work unfold and be a part of his greater plan. It can be challenging to pause but it is in that quiet reflection we remember how faithful our God is and that we are not alone in the work we do.
So, give thanks up. Give up thanks to our incredible God who cares deeply about you, the One who knows your name. Give up thanks to your church community, who believes in this ministry work. Give up thanks to the families, who trust their littles with you. Give up thanks to your team, who work alongside you. Give up thanks to your loved ones who are often a part of the work you do! I invite you to read this Psalm and let the thanks pour out.
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.”
Keep an eye out for the next Top Ten, coming out May 8. It has some great ways to say ‘thanks’ to your team!
Blessings to you and the work you do.