Kindness in the Other Lane

The other week, a friend mentioned the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I had read it several years ago and remembered the challenge to journal the gifts in your life—kind of like a gratitude journal, but deeper. That conversation motivated me, and I found myself hunting through our bookshelves until I found my old copy.

As I reopened it and started chapter one, I remembered the raw sorrow and tragedies the author walked through. But what hit me most was one line that has been going through my mind for days: "the sin of ingratitude."

Wow. That one hit hard.

How often do I go about my day thinking I’m entitled to ease and comfort, forgetting that I am a sinner in need of a Savior? That God is God—and I am not. I complain when my plans go off course. I grumble when interruptions come. But this—this call to gratitude—it's a call back to truth. Back to humility. Back to understanding who God is.

So I opened my journal and began my list to 1,000. I’m writing down the little things, the seemingly insignificant moments where God is gently showing up—if only I pay attention.

Just this morning, while I was out on a run, I came over the top a hill. A car had passed me, and as I started downhill, a truck approached and stopped. At first, I was nervous. But then I realized—the driver had seen the car that had just gone by and paused to make sure it was safe for both of us. He waited, then passed in the other lane.

A small act of kindness.

But I noticed.

And I was thankful.

God is working on me to practice gratitude, to choose thankfulness over entitlement. I’m starting to see the gifts that aren’t just in the big breakthroughs—but the ones in the small, everyday moments.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

So here’s my challenge to you:

Grab a notebook, or open the notes app on your phone, and start your own list. Look for one gift today. Just one small thing that reminds you God is with you. Then look again tomorrow. Keep going. See how your attitude begins to shift. Gratitude changes the way we see everything.

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