Thankful for the Means of Change

I'm thankful for God's faithful commitment to my sanctification.  He is way more committed to my transformation and growth in Christ than I could ever be.  And He amazes me by the ways that He plans to bring about that change.  Actually, sometimes He surprises me.

Take motherhood, for example. 23 years ago when we were just weeks away from the birth of our first baby, I can honestly say that I was clueless about all the ways that God was going to change me through raising children.  With every year that went by, and every child that was added to our family, God had changes in mind.  He has used my children to show me that I desperately need His strength to do the work involved.  He has used my children to show me that my heart is naturally selfish and sinful.  (Yes, I did know that before they arrived, but not nearly to the extent that I discovered when conflict arose between us).  He has shown me that with children come unspeakable joys, and that they are amazing specimens of God's creative genius. And He has used my kids to show me my need to imitate Christ in gracious love, just as He has treated me with patience and kindness, though I did not deserve it. Finally, God has used my children to show me that He is powerful and can change the hearts of people, including me and my kids.

All these things that He has shown me through my kids have left me different than I was at the start.  I see how much greater God is than I ever dreamed, and how much more gracious and loving He is than I imagined. I'm thankful that He will keep working to conform my heart to the image of Christ, until the day that I see Him face to face. One more thing to cause me to give thanks.