When I designed the 7-40 Challenge—seven daily habits practiced for 40 days, repeated throughout 2026—I had to make hard choices. Only seven habits. Not eight. Not ten. Seven.
Bible study made the list. So did exercise, calorie tracking, water intake, reading, and creative work. But the seventh spot? That one is special to me.
I chose gratitude.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because some productivity guru told me to keep a gratitude journal. I chose gratitude because without it, I forget who I am and whose I am.
Gifts, Not Guarantees
I’ve always tried to be a grateful person. Whether through things people have done for me or gifts I’ve received, I’ve understood—or mostly understood—that those gifts were just that: gifts. Not things to expect. Not things to demand.
But I’ve received some gifts in my life that go far beyond my deserving. And I see gratitude as a way to remain centered in those gifts and how thankful I am for them.
The first is my relationship with Jesus.
I recognize that I need Him, and He saved me when I called out to Him. He forgave me of my sins and made me His. I am forever grateful.
The second gift is my wife.
We met when we were 19 years old. Somehow we had the clarity of mind and the foresight to know we had found the person we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. We celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary this week, and she is the best friend I have ever had aside from God Himself.
The third gift is my son.
We prayed for a very long time for his arrival. When he finally came, it was not without complication. But God took care of him, and he has grown to be such a fine young man—so loving, so smart, so many other things. I am so grateful for him.
These three gifts—Jesus, my bride, my son—aren’t things I earned. They’re treasures I’ve been given. And gratitude is how I remember that.
And there are other ways gratitude has shaped me as well.
When Gratitude Becomes Survival
I was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004 when I was 26 years old. I went through chemotherapy in 2005 and thought I was cancer-free. I was beyond relieved and so grateful for a new start, a new opportunity to do good and be with my family.
For 13 years, life was normal.
Then in 2018, the doctor found a 13cm tumor that had shut off my left kidney. I was in excruciating pain. The diagnosis wasn’t good. It’s only by the grace of God that I am still here.
Because of that, I know I have purpose. I know I have more to do.
For this reason, I choose to be thankful every day.
Sometimes I start to forget. Life gets busy. Habits get routine. The miracle of waking up becomes ordinary again.
But it always comes back.
My heart is filled with so much gratitude for the opportunity to still be here with my family, to love them as hard as I can, and to do my best to live the life God wants me to live.
Gratitude isn’t a nice addition to my life. It’s how I survive with purpose.
Why Sundays Matter
That’s why gratitude is Habit #7 in my challenge. And that’s why every Sunday in 2026, I’m launching a Thank You Campaign—a weekly practice of publicly thanking the people who shaped me, believed in me, and invested in me even when I didn’t deserve it.
Because transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. I didn’t get here alone. And if I’m going to document 7 40 day rounds (280 days) as a “lab rat” proving that change is possible at any age, I need to acknowledge the truth: I am who I am because of the gifts I’ve been given and the people who gave them.
I choose to make my gratitude more tangible. I’m going to start saying thank you as often as I can because I choose a grateful heart.
Not just feeling it. Not just thinking it.
Saying it. Writing it. Making it real.
Because the best time to be grateful isn’t someday.
It’s now.
#thankyoucampaign #gratitude #thankyou
The 740 Challenge 