I am walking my dog. Her nose slides along the ground, sucking like a vacuum, ingesting every delicious smell. She stops at a hole, burying her snout deep into the ground.  It’s the same hole we stopped at yesterday. She stops at a tall, feathery bunch of grass and scans several individual blades thoroughly. It’s the same grassy spot we stopped at yesterday. She takes this walk at least twice a day. But every time, the smells are overwhelming for her, engulfing, delightful, and still worth stopping for.

Often, I tug at her leash in impatience. Sometimes, if my heart is in the right place, I let her take the time she wants and turn my own eyes to what pleases them. A cardinal hidden in an evergreen. The wind stirring the goldenrod. I remember the God who created cardinals and goldenrod and speak a quiet “thank you.”

The next night, my husband Jeremy stops the car to make us all look at the sunset. It is tangerine, rose, gold, violet…every shade you can put in the sky. The clouds are darkening, and a star is beginning to sparkle at us. He is beside himself. “Wow, oh wow, look at those colors. Do you see that? Can you believe that? Just look at that.” He snaps photo after photo, adjusting light, trying futilely to capture the sky on his phone. How many sunsets has he wondered over? How many pictures of sunsets has he taken? Every one is still worth stopping for.

I am not a sunset fanatic. But in these moments, if my heart is in the right place, I take the invitation to notice my blessings. The four children in the back seat who love each other.  My husband’s boy-like enthusiasm that made me fall in love. In my heart I whisper “thank you.”  And I’m glad he (and He) made us stop.

It’s hard to see beauty and goodness at the speed of light. One of the benefits from the practice of thankfulness is that it makes you slow down. Our fast-paced lives are full of gifts that are overshadowed by errands and projects and traffic. Many days, it’s an act of willpower to pause and look for blessings. Have you slowed down long enough to offer a quiet thank you? When we stop to see what God has given, we remember our rightful place as creatures who are dependent upon an eternal Father for every single breath. Suddenly the rat race is a little less interesting; why do we need to run so hard when we have so much already?

Next time you’re stuck in traffic or stuck in line, look around. What do you see that prompts you to thank Him?  When you are waiting in another office, make a mental list of blessings.  A goodbye kiss, a good book, a working car.  Ceiling fans, soft beds, chocolate cake.  A simple thank you in the moment pulls you out of the stress and into the presence of the Giver of good things.

A girlfriend and I sometimes text each other lists of things we are thankful for.  It has become our way of helping the other climb out of a bad mood. When she asks me that question, “What are you thankful for?,” I recognize the voice of the Spirit in it. He is calling me to slow down. He is calling me to see that He is still here. Despite hard circumstances, can I believe that He is for me? After noticing four or five blessings, I usually can.

I am not so naïve to think that speaking our blessings cures every deep depression or solves every hard struggle. But as Christians, we have a clear advantage over our neighbors in difficult circumstances. Our God is so, so good, and our despair is not the end. His grace is so, so plentiful. We have salvation from God’s wrath! We have the promise of eternal life! Not one of us can say there is nothing at all to be thankful for.

North Wake, will you clear your schedule enough to be able to recognize what is good? Will you testify to His kindness? Will you look for His blessings even in the rush, even in the dark? I pray that we would be a community that pauses—outside of holidays—to say thank you. The speed of light does not own us. We belong to Jesus, and without a doubt, His mercies are new every morning.