Many years ago, when I was in corporate America, I was a member of several process improvement project teams. I vividly recall the endless Microsoft Project plans that listed every task, along with their respective milestones.

One particular project came to my mind this week. The task was to improve our process improvement process! The goal was to ensure that we were being effective and efficient in all that we were doing.

During our investigative phase, it was noted that at the end of nearly every project, there was no celebration. No high fives. No “Atta Boy or Atta Girl.” We just finished and moved on to the next. It was decided that a celebratory task should be added to every plan.

Over the past several weeks, I have had some time to reflect and I realized something. Sometimes I forget to celebrate and express my gratitude to God, not just for the major milestones but for the little things.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17 NKJV)

Oh sure, I’m pretty good at thanking God for the ‘big wins’ such as both of my young adult children recently securing new jobs and excelling at them. But it’s the little things during the day that happen like seeing a robin with a worm in its mouth, reminding me of one of my favorite Scriptures:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)

Here’s what I’m learning:

When we take a moment or two to acknowledge all these gifts from God, it accomplishes three important things:

1. Keeps us in an attitude of gratitude.
2. Keeps us mindful of how much God loves us.
3. Reminds us of how faithful God is.

If we want to build up our faith and strengthen our relationship with our loving Father in heaven, then we’ve got to acknowledge Him! We have to talk with Him! That’s how relationships are built and stand the test of time.

Think about that. If you never talked to or spent time with your best friend, could you really call them your best friend? Sounds like more of an acquaintance, right?

Jesus came to earth to show us who God is, what His character and personality are like so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. When you read about what Jesus did and said in the Bible, you will have a concrete picture of who God is because Jesus only did and said what His Father did and said.

“Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19 NKJV)

Here’s what I’d like to encourage you to do this week. For every good thing that happens to you, take a moment and say, “Thank you Father!” Whether it’s a coveted parking spot, a tasty meal, or a smile from a stranger. These are all gifts from God, who loves you more than you know!

Now, that’s something to celebrate!