Written by Pieter Potgieter
06/11/2025
I write this message while I am in Uganda on an outreach mission. During my time here, visiting our brothers and sisters in Christ, and with the year coming to an end, there is one theme that rests strongly on my heart: gratefulness.
It states in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Gratefulness is the culmination of many fruits of the Spirit, especially joy, goodness and faithfulness, yet we often overlook it because of the circumstances or challenges we face in this broken world. These difficulties can blind us, preventing us from seeing the many things we should be grateful for. We miss the blessings we have simply taken for granted.
Being here in Uganda — visiting churches and Christian organisations — has deeply reminded me how grateful I should be personally, and how grateful we should be as the Church. It made me reflect on my own life and ask: In my own church, how grateful am I that we do not face the same challenges as churches in remote areas of Africa and other parts of the world?
I also asked myself: Am I a passive bystander in my church — attending on Sundays and then disappearing?
The truth is, we have the privilege of freedom and many opportunities. God has given us abundant opportunities to serve His body — not only in our own community, but also in other churches and places around the world.
Today, while visiting a small church in a remote region of northern Uganda, I watched the people worship the Lord with deep gratitude. Their joy challenged me, and I found myself asking: Where do I stand before the Lord in gratefulness?
Let us rejoice in the Lord, count our blessings, and cultivate grateful hearts.
Gratefulness is something the Holy Spirit cultivates in us — and the Lord delights in a grateful heart.
