On Being Thankful
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night." Psalm 92:1-2 ESV
For the past month my Facebook feed has been full of friends and family participating in thirty days of thankfulness. While I have some friends that have rolled their eyes at the daily posts of this and that, I thought it was rather nice that the majority of status updates weren't about how annoying traffic is or how wretched Mondays are, but instead were saturated in thankfulness for the many blessings in life. Some of you were thankful for family, friends, health, employment, and yes, some of you were thankful that is was Friday and the promise that work was out of sight/out of mind for two days.
I myself chose not to participate. Not out of spite or some noble stand against peer pressure to do what everyone else was doing, it just wasn't something I felt like taking part in.
But, as I drove down the parkway last night with a stomach full of turkey with all the fixings, I got to thinking. The thing I cherished most about this Thanksgiving truly wasn't the delicious food (though I got a southern grandmother that can throw down in the kitchen with the best of them), no, what I wanted to savor most was sweet fellowship with my family. My great aunts and uncles, my cousins, my husband and children. I just wanted to sink down in the comfort of stories shared, laughter, and catching up with what's going on in everyone's life. In a word, it's love. I love the family that I have been given.
I appreciate those of you who chose to share publicly what you are thankful for, and I hope all of you took time to contemplate what you appreciate most in your life during this time of year. But I challenge you to take it a step further. If we all have so much to be thankful for, then shouldn't we be moved to let that spill over into the lives around us?
If you were thankful that there was food on your table, could there not be an empty chair or two that you could invite someone over to share your meal with?
If you were thankful for your husband/wife, could you take the time to remember those who have lost loved ones and take the time to visit or send them a note of kindness?
If you were thankful for your health, is there anyone staring at the sterile walls of a hospital that would enjoy a friendly face and gentle hand by their bedside?
If you were thankful for your child's teacher or other adults that lead them, did you take the time to tell that person how much you appreciate the positive guidance and encouragement they give?
If you were thankful for your children and praised God for what blessings they are, could there be another child who might need an adult to see them for the gift they are and is just waiting for a family to cherish them?
If you were thankful for the saving grace of God that gave you a hope and a future, is there not some one who you wish to share that with in hope that they to may know and experience this love?
While I love the idea of thirty days of thankfulness, I don't want it just to be words we typed into that empty status box every morning. I'd like to think all my blessings should be treasured, but if I can take some of what I've been given and pass it on, then we're getting somewhere.
I'm thankful for this passion for the fatherless that God has given me. If you had told me a year ago I'd be writing a blog, teaching a class, traveling to Haiti, and working to bring my sweet girl home, I'd have laughed. I would have thought it possible that I could be doing one or two of those things, but the others would have seemed outside my realm of possibility. But, here I am, and, I hope I'm doing a fair job of taking this blessing He has given and running with it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! May God bless you in the year to come, and in turn, may you be a blessing.
For the past month my Facebook feed has been full of friends and family participating in thirty days of thankfulness. While I have some friends that have rolled their eyes at the daily posts of this and that, I thought it was rather nice that the majority of status updates weren't about how annoying traffic is or how wretched Mondays are, but instead were saturated in thankfulness for the many blessings in life. Some of you were thankful for family, friends, health, employment, and yes, some of you were thankful that is was Friday and the promise that work was out of sight/out of mind for two days.
I myself chose not to participate. Not out of spite or some noble stand against peer pressure to do what everyone else was doing, it just wasn't something I felt like taking part in.
But, as I drove down the parkway last night with a stomach full of turkey with all the fixings, I got to thinking. The thing I cherished most about this Thanksgiving truly wasn't the delicious food (though I got a southern grandmother that can throw down in the kitchen with the best of them), no, what I wanted to savor most was sweet fellowship with my family. My great aunts and uncles, my cousins, my husband and children. I just wanted to sink down in the comfort of stories shared, laughter, and catching up with what's going on in everyone's life. In a word, it's love. I love the family that I have been given.
If you were thankful that there was food on your table, could there not be an empty chair or two that you could invite someone over to share your meal with?
If you were thankful for your husband/wife, could you take the time to remember those who have lost loved ones and take the time to visit or send them a note of kindness?
If you were thankful for your health, is there anyone staring at the sterile walls of a hospital that would enjoy a friendly face and gentle hand by their bedside?
If you were thankful for your child's teacher or other adults that lead them, did you take the time to tell that person how much you appreciate the positive guidance and encouragement they give?
If you were thankful for your children and praised God for what blessings they are, could there be another child who might need an adult to see them for the gift they are and is just waiting for a family to cherish them?
If you were thankful for the saving grace of God that gave you a hope and a future, is there not some one who you wish to share that with in hope that they to may know and experience this love?
While I love the idea of thirty days of thankfulness, I don't want it just to be words we typed into that empty status box every morning. I'd like to think all my blessings should be treasured, but if I can take some of what I've been given and pass it on, then we're getting somewhere.
I'm thankful for this passion for the fatherless that God has given me. If you had told me a year ago I'd be writing a blog, teaching a class, traveling to Haiti, and working to bring my sweet girl home, I'd have laughed. I would have thought it possible that I could be doing one or two of those things, but the others would have seemed outside my realm of possibility. But, here I am, and, I hope I'm doing a fair job of taking this blessing He has given and running with it.
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! May God bless you in the year to come, and in turn, may you be a blessing.
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