Day 38: Sharing

Thank you, God, for sharing.

I don’t know how to sum this up in one word—but I do know how good it feels. Sharing is a gift. God shares life with us, and that is sacred. We share life with each other, and that, too, is holy. Sometimes we share food, tools, time, expertise, or stories. All of it matters. I’ve realized that many of these gratitude entries end up being about sharing in some way. And here’s another layer to it—I’m sharing these entries with You, and in a small way, with others too. Life is about sharing. Sharing is about life.

I was thinking about this as I drove to Pana today. We give our towns a hard time sometimes. But then we go somewhere else—even just 20 minutes away (okay, I didn’t make it to Pana in 20 minutes)—and we’re impressed by what they have. I drove past the park in Pana and thought, “This is nice.” And yeah, I know—I live in Vandalia. We’re not supposed to compliment Pana. Sports rivalries and all that. But it made me wonder: what is Vandalia’s “thing”? What do we have that’s worth the trip?

The list is probably longer than we give it credit for, because we can be hard on our hometown. The truth is, we have a lot. Maybe we just forget because we see it every day. We have people who care about their community. That counts for a lot. The things we’re proud of in our hometowns vary, because we’re all different people.

For instance, when I lived in Greenville, I thought the parks were the town’s best-kept secret. Yes, many people know about Patriots Park, but did you know they also have a nature preserve? Just as awesome—80% fewer people.

But my gratitude today isn’t really about parks. It’s about sharing life together. Sharing God with people. And of course, the issue with creating lists is that you always forget something. So the truth of my gratitude today is simply this: Thank you, God, for sharing.

I’m grateful for shared places—for parks, paths, nature preserves—for communities that offer space to be, to breathe, to share moments with others or just with You. Thank you, God, for all of it.