November 25, 2018

Living a Thankful Life

“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” – Psalm 50:14-15

The news was awful. A shooting at a mall in a Birmingham suburb. A 12-year-old girl was an innocent victim. She could have been anyone’s daughter, anyone’s friend. Shock waves echoed.

But what was so amazing is how her mom wrote nothing but positive on a Facebook post that was shared repeatedly. Rather those focusing on the scary, the painful, the awful thing that happened to her daughter, she used the post to thank those who helped her daughter and reached out to her. I wonder how many of us would have done the same thing?

She thanked the strangers who rushed forward to tend to her daughter’s wound. She thanked the nearby store clerk who snatched a new shirt from the rack so it could be used to help stop the bleeding. She thanked first responders, medical staff and all those who reached out. She saw the good in an awful situation.

Her daughter should be fine. We are thankful for that. It surely could have ended differently. And we’d be naïve to think there won’t be trauma that lingers for her daughter, herself and the grandmother that was there when it happened. We are all learning to be fearful, watchful, careful in places that once felt so safe.

I don’t have any answers. I’m not diving into the gun control debate. I own guns. I am trained and prepared to defend myself against a threat. But, gosh, I wish we lived in a world where it wasn’t necessary. Don’t you?

But I am thankful for good people who come forward in the midst of chaos. Think about it. Shots were ringing out and yet people rushed forward to help an injured child. No one would have blamed them if they’d fled to safety. But they stayed to help. That’s good making a difference in the midst of bad.

Today several people showed up at a friends’ house and built a ramp. Her elderly parents certainly need it. And last week she fell and broke one ankle and severely sprained the other. She needs it too. Good in the midst of a horrible situation.

I have been the recipient of kindness and I have tried to extend kindness to others. It doesn’t take much to bake an extra cake, drop off a few magazines, or make a phone call. But it means the world to someone else. It matters.

When we learn to be thankful first, it’s easy to extend grace and kindness. We become aware of all that we have. We know that in the midst of awful there is good and we are thankful for it. We cling to the rock, our Savior, the One who never leaves us to face anything alone.

No matter what today or the days that come might bring, be thankful. Find the good. Remember to thank God for His Presence. Don’t ever take your blessings for granted. There’s always something to be thankful for if you open your heart and look.

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.

October 21, 2018

Gratitude

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. – Psalm 95:2-3

What are you grateful for? Do you ever stop and think about it? Oh, I know. We’re supposed to count our blessings every day, but do you? Really?

It’s easy to focus on the big things. Family. Friends. Home. Job. Health. Those are all important. Sometimes they are even things we take for granted until we don’t have them anymore.

But what about the smaller things? In our country, we assume clean, running water and indoor plumbing. Until we don’t have it. Then we’re scrambling and whining. But here’s the thing: some people do without those luxuries every single day. Do you ever thank God for the water you use every day?

Do you thank Him for the food you eat? I’m not talking about a standard prayer before your meal. I’m talking about giving real thanks, the kind of thanks that comes when we realize how blessed we are to have food.

For most of us, when we are hungry we simply go into the kitchen and get something to eat. That’s not true for everyone. You might not always recognize those who don’t have enough to eat. Sometimes they’re the people who live down the street. Their children play with your children. You know they work. You assume they have enough food. Yet, many don’t.

What about medical care? Are you grateful that you can go to the doctor when you need to? Are you grateful that you and your insurance can afford whatever medications you need? We are blessed to have access to such wonderful medical care. Not everyone does.

We assume that everyone has insurance. Do they? Can they afford to use it? High co-pays and deductibles make medical care unreachable for some people. Medicine is an unaffordable luxury. It’s not about need or desire. It’s about reality. If you can afford medical care and medicine, you are blessed.

There was a photo of a beautiful little girl on the front page of the local newspaper today. She’s sitting in a wheelchair. A big bow highlights where her hair should be. You know what’s coming, don’t you? This little girl is fighting for her life. She wanted to be on the sidelines of the high school football game with her cheerleading class friends and her parents and others made that happen.

Don’t ever take your health for granted. Don’t take the health of those you love for granted. It can be gone in a flash. You could easily be the one living the unthinkable.

Gratitude does more than just change our attitude. It fuels our compassion for others. It helps us realize how blessed we are and how much we have to give back to God by loving others.

The next time you’re tempted to whine about what you don’t have or how busy you are or how much you dislike your job or a co-worker, stop. Consider your blessings. Thank God for your health, your job and the lessons He’s teaching you by sending a challenging person into your life.

Be grateful. Praise God. Feel peace.

October 12, 2018

Gratitude

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There’s a lot of thankful people around these days. Some are thankful they were spared. Some are thankful they are alive.

My neighbor said he prayed fervently during the storm for God to spare his house. He has tall trees in both the front and back yards and he was concerned that the wind would cause one or more to crash onto his house. His home weathered the storm without so much as a missing shingle. He’s been happily cleaning up limbs and leaves. It’s a small thing when he realizes what could have happened.

Another woman rejoices because her family is safe. So many people chose to ride out the storm in their homes. It sounded like a good idea, didn’t it? Until winds reached 150 mph and their homes were torn apart around them.

Another man got his power back today, well before he expected it. He’s looking forward to a hot cup of coffee. He said he knew it would sure taste good now that the storm and power outage reminded him of what it’s like to do without that coffee every morning.

There’s nothing like having your foundation ripped apart to realize what’s important. Family and friends come immediately to mind. Neighbors. Co-workers. And then the basics. When you’re thirsty and without power or water, someone delivering a nice cool bottle of water fills you with gratitude.

So do the power trucks lining the roads. They’re heading south to help and we’re just so grateful. We’re grateful for the search and rescue teams that are traveling south. We’re praying they find survivors. We’re glad that they will do what they can to make sure everyone is located, however that might turn out.

We’re thankful for those who, no longer needing their generator, loan it to someone who does. We’re thankful for gasoline to run cars and chainsaws and, yes, generators. We’re glad that a grocery store without power decided to cook all their meat and give it away to a community without power.

We’re grateful for the people who operate the numerous shelters around the area. They’re providing way more than a place to sleep and meals. They’re giving out hugs, entertaining children, helping parents grieve what they’ve lost. People who are numb need someone trustworthy to help them navigate these early days of loss. We’re grateful for those who step up to provide that.

The days are long right now. The task seems overwhelming. Nothing will ever be the same. So much is gone. Yet so much remains.

I am grateful for God’s Presence is the midst of it all. I pray that others come to see Him in the middle of this disaster. I hope they turn to Him for peace and strength. And I hope all of us keep our hearts and minds focused on Jesus. It’s just so easy to become overwhelmed but Jesus said that when we are weary we’re to cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us.

I don’t know your circumstances but I do know this: There’s just so much to be grateful for this day. Take a moment and thank God for that.

April 4, 2016

Choose Gratitude

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Ware you thankful for today? I asked someone that yesterday. The woman was complaining and complaining. I was trying to refocus her mind.

Her answer? “I guess that I’m alive today.” She couldn’t come up with anything else. How sad!

I’ll ask you the same question: What are you thankful for today? Get specific. Did you have food to eat? Great! What was the best thing? Was it Pecan Pie or Loaded Baked Potato Soup or fresh green beans and potatoes? Maybe it was ice cream or potato chips. Whatever it was, give God thanks for it.

There are so many things in our daily lives that we simply take for granted. Our health, for example. Or the ability to see a doctor when we need to. Some people don’t have either and ours could go away in moment. Why do we have to wait until it’s gone until we appreciate what we had?

Do you have a safe place to live? Count your blessings. Many hard working people struggle to have a roof over their heads, food on the table, health care, clothing and toys for their kids. The basics. And, yes, for all you that like to point fingers, most of them work one or two jobs seven days a week.

I’m thankful for a vehicle to drive. I’m thankful for satellite television. I’ve thankful for multiple Bibles. I’m thankful for books to read. I’m thankful for the sun that was so beautiful and bright today. And, yes, I’m thankful for my family and friends. I’m grateful for these two dogs that slumber nearby. I am amazed forever that God loves me and claims me as His own.

There are so many things to be thankful for each and every day. So why do we -- and we all do this sometimes -- focus on the negative? Why do we choose to see what we don’t have instead of what we do have?

We think we can someone fill ourselves up with something that will make us happy. Or maybe we’ve been unhappy for so long that we don’t know how to be anything else. Attitude is contagious. That’s how the saying goes. What does your attitude say about you? Are you negative and ungrateful? Or do you thank God for every good thing He does for you?

Choose to be grateful. You’ll be amazed at good it makes you feel.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Remember To Be Thankful

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

-- 2 Corinthians 9:15

They were young. They didn’t know any better. At least that’s what I told myself as I smiled and held my tongue. It wasn’t easy but I knew anything else would be pointless because they really didn’t understand.

They were complaining about a customer. While they worked the cash registers. While they helped other customers. They were oblivious to anything but their own thoughts and views.

I wanted to remind them to be grateful that they both had jobs. I wanted to tell them how frustrating it is as a customer to find something in a bin clearly marked a specific price, only to learn someone had misplaced it and the price is much higher. I sympathized with the customer. They couldn’t believe she didn’t somehow “know” that the item was in the wrong place.

Later that afternoon I purchased something at another store. The item’s price was different from the price marked on the sign. The attitudes of the employees at that store were wonderful. The price really was lower and they happily refunded me the two dollars. I know. It wasn’t much but it was the principle. And I’ll definitely be back because they were just so nice.

All this happened on the day long-term unemployment benefits were ending. The news media interviewed people who had been searching for a job for more than a year. One woman, a laid-off teacher, said she wasn’t proud. She’d applied for anything she could, including custodial jobs and other jobs some would view as “beneath” her. She just wanted to pay her bills.

Which brings me back to those two young girls. They appeared to be teenagers. Young, as I said. They didn’t appreciate having jobs while others are struggling to find any kind of employment.

I wonder if they’re grateful for other things in their lives. Are they grateful for good health? Are they thankful for family and friends? Do they know Jesus? Are they aware -- really aware -- of what He did for them?

Somehow I suspect they’re too young and too untouched by life’s cruelties to understand and appreciate what they have. Life can really be hard, no matter how much we try to do right and make good decisions. Jobs end. Economies head downward. Illness happens. Death comes. And we cope as best we can. Remembering to give thanks for what we do have.

That’s the key. To be thankful. To see good. To smile. To show kindness simply because we can. God has granted us this incredible gift of life. Look around. See all your blessings and give thanks.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Be Joyful. Pray. Give Thanks.

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

-- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What is God’s will for your life? Pastor Rob asked the congregation how many of us had ever really wanted to know what God’s will is for our lives. I don’t think any of us expected such a simple answer.

We believe God’s will is that we organize some big production. We believe God’s will is for us to make some grand gesture, perhaps on behalf of the poor. We believe that God’s will is that we do amazing things in His name. We think of those things when we consider what God’s will is for our lives.

But God’s will is that we be joyful. God desires that we keep praying. And God wants us to be thankful. Be joyful. Pray. Be thankful. So simple. And so profound.

What would happen if all Christians were actually joyful? More people would actually want to have some of that faith, some of that belief, some of that Jesus. Why? Because they would want some of that joy.

Many months ago Pastor Meghan spoke about what led her to a deeper faith. It wasn’t some grand revelation or major event in her life. She told us she looked around her home church and saw the people who really seemed to love the Lord and showed it during their worship time. He noticed the joy on their faces. She wanted what they had. And she got it. Because she sought it.

Pastor Rob told us a story of a woman who had been rejected by her own family. Her pastor didn’t know her story. He asked if a bear she was making was for her grandchild. She told him no and explained that the bear and others she’d made were for the children in her neighborhood. She’d decided that since she didn’t have a family, she needed to go out and adopt her own. And she had. Her life was filled with friends, adults and children, who were her family. She could have ended up sad and alone. Instead her life was filled with joy and love.

That’s the thing about joy. The person who gives joy to others, ends up getting more joy in return, Pastor Rob said. He’s right. It’s why volunteers often talk about getting more than they receive. There’s something joyful about helping others, doing for others, giving of yourself to others.

I’m not sure it’s possible to be truly joyful without embracing those around us. And can we truly be joyful without wanting to tell God, our Abba, our Father, all about it, singing His praises and praising His name? The more joy fills our lives and the more we sing God’s praises, the more thankful we become. It just works that way.

What is God’s will for our lives? To be joyful. To pray. And to be thankful. Sounds so easy. Give it a try. You’ll be amazed at the change in your life.