Latest / Prayer Before Work / S01E29 - GRATITUDE FOR THE PEOPLE "The Gift of Who You Work With"
Transcript
- Sean Graver: Welcome to Prayer Before Work. Now today's episode is going to be a little warmer than some because we're going to build on yesterday's prayer and be grateful for the people around us. Let's bring that to God right now. So in Philippians chapter one, verses three through five, it says, I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Now, Paul is writing this from prison and what he leads with, the very first thing is gratitude for people. Every time I remember you, I thank God. Now that's a powerful practice. I mean, a habit of mind that turns memory into prayer. and relationship into gratitude. And he's doing it from a prison cell. You know, we've talked about gratitude in a few different ways previously. Gratitude for the work, gratitude and disappointment. But this one's really specific. Gratitude for the people. Think about the people you work with. I mean, not as a general category, but as actual individuals. The one who always has your back in a hard meeting. the one who makes the mood lighter just by being around, the one who pushed back on your idea in a way that ended up making it better, and the one who showed up for you during a really hard season without being asked. Those people are not accidents. They're placed there for a reason. And the practice that Paul models here, remembering them and thanking God for them is one of the simplest and most underused habits in work life. Who do you need to thank God for today? And maybe who do you actually need to tell? Well, God, I want to pray with gratitude for the specific people in my work life, the ones who make the hard days a little more manageable. You know, the ones that bring out something better in me and the ones I would genuinely miss if they weren't there. Thank you for them. Thank you that work isn't just about tasks and outcomes. It's about real people. They all have their own story and their own hard days and their own gifts that they bring. to the same room as me. And help me not to take them for granted today, but help me to notice them, thank them, and be the kind of person that they can be grateful for also. I thank you for every one of them, and it's in Jesus' I pray, amen. Go make today count.