November 22, 2018

Be Thankful

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. – Psalm 100:4-5

The day is coming to a close. It has been a day full of food and laughter, memories and shared stories. We have remembered those who have gone home. We rejoice with those who remain. Family. Friends. We all gather together by choice and through love.

Today we remembered to be thankful for all those who share our days, whether it’s those who are part of every day or those who traveled to be with us. We remember all our blessings.

But what about tomorrow? And all the tomorrows that will come? Will we be any less blessed on those days than we are today? Will we remember to be thankful when we are overwhelmed by ordinary life? Will we remember to be thankful on the hard days, the long days, the days of heartbreak? Are we any less blessed on those days than on this day of Thanksgiving?

We like to compartmentalize, don’t we? Today we’ll be thankful. Sunday we’ll attend church and worship God. Monday we’ll work. Tuesday we’ve got a club meeting. Wednesday the kids have something at school. Each and every day is filled with life. But are we thankful?

It’s hard not to compare our lives with the lives of others. There are parents who would give anything for another day with their child. There are people who are fighting hard to live. There are people who pretend all is well when the reality is they are hurting, lonely, desperate. Do we see them? Do we try to understand?

And are we thankful? There are blessings in every day. I won’t lie. Some days it’s hard to find them. It takes effort. It takes doing what we’d rather not do as we wallow in self-pity. It means really looking around and seeing life as it really is. Do you have a home? Do you have food? Did you notice the sunset? Did you hear the birds chirping? And on and on. There are blessings everywhere but do we see them?

God is good. We hear that a lot. It’s true. God is good. But here’s what we don’t always understand: God is good regardless of our circumstances. God is good even when we are sick. God is good when we are hurting. God is good even when we can’t feel His Presence.

I hate it when someone responds to good news with “God is good.” Yes, He is. But God is still good when the news is bad. God is good even when He answers no. God is good when we are dying. God is good all the time.

And we always have reasons to be thankful. Always. Today I am thankful for family. I am thankful for shared memories and laughter. I am thankful for my Mother’s recipes and good food.

What about you? What are you thankful for? Was your day filled with joy or riddled with strife? Was your day spent in a large gathering of family and friends or was it spent alone? Did you take time to praise God? Did you remember to thank Him? It’s amazing how your attitude changes when you fill your heart with gratitude.

God loves us no matter what. God is good no matter what. Worship Him. Praise Him. Give thanks in all circumstances. He loves you and me. That is surely something to be thankful for.

April 25, 2016

What’s Your Attitude?

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

 -- Psalm 100:1-2

Attitude was the topic of yesterday’s sermon. Pastor Danny used Psalm 100 to point out that we should have an attitude of joyfulness as we go through the moments of each day.

Later as we were starting Sunday School Class, we heard joyful music coming down the hall. One of the praise band members was leading the way, playing his guitar, and children of various ages, along with a few adult volunteers, were following behind singing loudly.

Someone jumped up and opened the door and our class joined the singers by clapping to the beat. The line wound around and doubled back. One young boy, who was a little bit taller than some of the other children, was near the back of the line. His arms were tightly cross over his chest and a scowl darkened his face. He was not singing and he was not happy.

We closed the door as the children headed to a different area, then looked at each other, and started laughing hysterically. Those of us who had been in the earlier service explained that the sermon was on attitude. That brought a new round of laughter and it took us a while to get focused on the lesson.

It sure brought home the point of the sermon way better than words ever could. I wonder how many of us go through life with a scowl on our face? We’ve decided life isn’t good, or the day is awful, or whatever that will bring us down and -- surprising -- we have a bad day.

Attitude does determine so much of how our life turns out. It’s that age-old cliché “Is the glass half-full or half-empty?” It’s a choice. We can see a life of possibilities or a life of defeat.

A friend recently noted that his mother is in town for an extended stay. He splurged and subscribed to the baseball channel so she could watch her team. Did she appreciate it? Nope. Her team was losing and she was unhappy. So much for thankfulness.

We’re all like that sometimes. We’re so busy wallowing in what’s wrong that we miss what’s right. We forget to be thankful. We forget to be joyful. We forget to delight in the Lord.

What’s your attitude? You might surprise yourself.