Enter His Gates

In these days, my brain has been on complete overload with information. I have really struggled with my thoughts. The current facts and opinions of others are overwhelming. I’ve had to limit my intake and intentionally set some boundaries with what I choose to read, hear, and talk about - to maintain a mind and home of peace. In the slowness of this time, the quiet has been a gift, yet, has also contributed to the increase of unwanted thoughts. Often, I can’t stop them from coming, but I can control my response. I choose to begin thanking Him. I enter His gates. This simple, yet transformative act, has and continues to shape my days.

Psalm 100:4, lovingly instructs us to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!”

I am gently reminded. I enter His gates and suddenly, I hear the joyful sounds of birds chirping. I see the golden sun rays dancing on the green grass. I embrace my loving husband with eyes of gratitude. I start counting, and can’t stop; these gifts of grace awaken me. My eyes are open to this vibrant life - alive with color, and it tastes sweeter than ever. I sense the Lord, and I enter His presence through this present thanks.

Do you want direct access to His presence? Do you desire Him to satisfy you and bring peace to your mind? There is an invitation that awaits you - to enter His gates with thanksgiving! This is available at any moment in time, giving you direct access to the King. Why wouldn’t you open it? This is a pathway to fullness of life and a continual opportunity to enter His presence of peace and choose His higher ways.

In the Passion translation, Psalm 100:4 says, “You can pass through His open gates with the password of praise. Come right into His presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to Him and affectionately bless His beautiful name!” What a gift - this password of praise! The reality is beautiful, but it takes continual work to choose thankfulness. I desire to be a woman of thanksgiving but have struggled with constant thankfulness.

A practical way that I pursue thankfulness in my daily life is through connecting it to a task that I must do every day. I’ve tied thanksgiving with making our bed. I decided to thank the Lord the entire time I make our bed. At first, this felt awkwardly forced, and I honestly didn’t really feel thankful, but I pressed in, and it has become a life-giving habit. Now, each morning when I make our bed (well, most mornings), I begin thanking the Lord. This mundane task has become a time of praise and gratitude. It has turned into a time of turning my eyes toward Jesus and welcoming His presence into my day. Try tying thanksgiving with a daily task. This can be anything from making the bed, to doing the dishes, brushing your teeth, or doing laundry. Push through your thoughts and choose gratitude in your moment of mundane. And then, keep doing it, with every new day.

Another way that I purposely pursue thanksgiving is by taking gratitude walks. In these recent days, I crave fresh air and something to lift my spirits. This is when I remember to take a gratitude walk. Some days it’s twenty minutes and other days there’s just enough grace to walk to the end of the street and back. I purposely spend this time thanking the Lord for anything that comes to mind. I love tying this thanksgiving with moving my body. If you’ve never tried a gratitude walk, I dare you. It is so life-giving!

And lastly, I keep a little thankful journal. Ann Voskamp, has immensely impacted my thankful journey and prompted me through her inspiring book, One Thousand Gifts, to begin writing my list of thanks. She describes writing down these gifts as unwrapping love gifts. It truly is, and it unwraps the present moment that I so desire to enter. She writes, “God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: joy.” I encourage you to keep a little thankful journal and jot down the gifts He reveals. It will breathe life into your body and soul, and lead you to access the joy in the present moment. Some days, I write twenty gifts, and other days, I quickly write one.

Thankfulness is like a muscle. The more you move it, the stronger it gets, and the more natural the movement becomes. This current season is a beautiful opportunity and window of time to press into thanking the Lord. Many of us are alone with our minds all day. The thoughts are tiring and we just need to look up to our King Jesus and let Him take us to another place in our mind - a place of giving thanks.

Sweet friend, enter His gates. Go into His courts with praise! There is full and complete satisfaction there. Do you want to be a person of thanks? I deeply desire this thankful way. I desire to be grateful and live continually communing with Him, but we must daily choose to enter His gates.

My prayer for you: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Thank you Lord for my friend. Fill them with a deep desire to thank you. Turn their mundane moments into radiant light. Thank you for Your relentless love that is pursuing them in this very moment. I pray that You would soften their heart and open their mouth to speak thanks right now, regardless of their circumstance. You are so deserving of our thanks, Lord. Shower them with Your grace and greet them with Your Heavenly presence as they enter, sweet Jesus.