The Sweetness of Remembering God’s Goodness

Gratitude and Praise Keeps Our Hearts Anchored in Him

By: Angela McCoun

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds”
(Ps. 77:11).

I was recently given a blessing jar. The instructions were simple: “Capture all the sweet moments the Lord has given you.” In the jar was a pen and paper, a couple of reminders written to me, and candy—some of my favorites that I really don’t partake in much now.

A Heavy Weight to Carry

I was that girl in my early twenties that always had a purse full of candy—not just one kind, but all sorts. If you wanted chewy, hard, gummy, or gum, chances were that I was carrying it around in my purse. That wasn’t the only thing I was carrying around: headache medicine because I always got headaches from the lifestyle I was leading, cigarettes because I couldn’t get rid of that habit, and probably some rolling papers, too. But if I could really reflect on that twenty-something girl, there would have been something so much heavier I was carrying around: guilt, shame, and sadness.

I was in my early twenties before I tasted the goodness of God. It was there, early in my marriage, that God helped me understand that He could provide that relationship I was so desperately seeking. Just like that purse full of candy, my taste changed.