I’ve been keeping a running list of things I’m thankful for this month. It’s a good exercise (one I’ve copied from other people), and I highly recommend it. My list contains the staples, like coffee and chocolate, and a few things that may seem odd, like regular trash pick-up. Drag the junk I don’t want to the curb and it’s gone—who wouldn’t be delighted with that service?

As I ponder on gratitude people continually come to mind. Wife, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and many others. While my list includes a warm house and Mexican food, people dominate. A wise mentor once told me: Things are to be used, people are to be enjoyed. We mix those up to our detriment.

People are to be enjoyed. Jesus enjoyed the people around him, turning water into wine at a marriage feast, spending time teaching his disciples, and inviting children to sit on his lap. He modeled a spirit of gratitude for others.

The number of good people in my life makes me indebted to the Lord. The psalmist wrote: We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. Every person in my orbit is a wondrous deed placed there by God. For each and every one I give thanks.

I encourage you to write out a list of things you’re thankful for this season. I’m betting a lot of people will make that list. Pause, consider, and take pleasure in the good folks the Lord has placed around you. Enjoy the people in your life, and you’ll find they enjoy you as well.

Psalm 75:1

Photo by Jon Tyson