Let Thanksgiving Fill You Up
For everything God created is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is
consecrated by the word of God and prayer. – 1 Timothy 4:4-5
The Facebook post was almost comical. Rain was ruining
her family vacation and she wanted everyone to pray that it would stop. Yes,
indeed, I thought. Let our parched land refrain from receiving rain so that she
won’t have to deal with rain on her parade. (cliché intended)
I get it. I do. We welcome necessary rain until it interferes
with our plans. Then we just want it to go away. Our plans are more important
than the needs of anyone else. No. We don’t see it that way as we gaze out from
our self-centered view but it’s what our hearts are crying out.
I’ll also admit my own selfishness in this. The
pastures were dying because of the heat and lack of rain. The cows need grass. I
am grateful for the rain because it makes the grass grow.
I also look around at the fields. Rain is necessary to
make the crops grow. We live in a farming region. People depend on the right
amount of rain to earn their living. It’s not about fun. It’s about income.
How we view situations has so much to do with
attitude. The first winter I put out hay I kept telling myself I would be so
glad when spring came. No more large hay rings to move. No more 50-pound grain
sacks to unload.
Then came spring. I can now joke that I won’t get
caught up on the bush hogging until winter comes. There’s always something to do
on a farm. The work never ends. And that’s okay. Because I am blessed to be
able to work, to tend cows, to drive a tractor.
It’s all about perspective. We spend so much of our
lives complaining about today that we often miss the blessings God has given to
us. We sound like the Israelites in the desert, don’t we? No matter how much
God does for us, we complain about what God hasn’t done. I can’t even imagine
how exasperated He gets.
Gratitude changes your attitude. Thankfulness focuses
on blessings. Have you ever made a gratitude list? You really should. It clears
everything up rather quickly. It focuses our minds back to the blessings and
away from a tomorrow we can neither predict nor control.
My sweet friend, who truly is a Godly woman, soon
changed her complaint to thanksgiving. The rain remained but she decided to
adjust her attitude and have fun anyway. What a blessing! She is surrounded by
family in a wonderful place. That’s what is important.
Yesterday a large limb came down, blocking the
driveway. I am thankful for saws, and the ability to use those saws, so that I
could handle the situation on my own. And I thankful that had I needed help, I
could have placed a phone call and gotten help right away. Friendships abound
and I am so very grateful for the people God has placed in my life.
I am grateful for the nosy cows who came to check out
the hysterical dogs and the racoon that was having a really bad day. I love
watching the geese and wild ducks and all the birds that come our way. They
remind me of my parents, and that brings both a smile and a tear.
Life goes on until, one day, it doesn’t. How are you
going to live it? Are you going to fill your days with thanksgiving, welcoming
the challenges and blessings as equal gifts from God? Or are you going to
grumble all the way home? The choice belongs to you.
