The Gift of Thanksgiving

            Thankfulness is a gift of the heart.  And what an amazing, life-changing, attitude-redirecting, joy-sustaining gift it is!  Some days thankfulness comes easy.  I wake up in the morning and the sun is shining.  Days when so much laughter fills my house it is bursting with joy.  Times when my body moves the way it’s supposed to.  Seasons when my children are healthy, happy and thriving.  Times when my marriage is strong, Mike and I are in sync with each other and our hearts are full. Opportunities to spend time cultivating deep friendships that are about so much more than just getting together socially, but are soul enriching and heart stretching.   Instances when I experience a strong sense of purpose and calling and am brave enough to act on it.  Days spent outside with my family doing what we love.  Chunks of times when worship is automatic and God feels so close.  Moments when life is just good and blessings abound.  Those are the days that a sense of gratitude fills my heart instinctively and doesn’t take any effort at all. 

            But then there are days that gratitude isn’t so instinctive.  Times when being thankful is work.  Those days that are dark and gloomy, maybe in terms of the weather, perhaps in terms of my soul...the sun may be shining outside, but inside my heart is dark & stormy.  Days when worry and concern about friends or family members overwhelm my heart.  Situations that seem impossible.  Mornings that I wake up and everything hurts and nothing moves the way it’s supposed to.  Moments when grief comes upon me suddenly and brutally.  Days when I feel like I can’t do anything right as a Mom and wife and am constantly letting my family down.  Relationships are strained.  Days are hard.  God feels farther away.  Those are the days that thankfulness requires striving and intentionality.  Days that I have to work at being thankful.

            Those are the times that I have to stop and really take into account all that I have to be thankful for.  All the things that God has done for me, given me.  How He has strengthened me.  All of the ways that He has provided and protected.  I need to keep a record of them, speak gratitude out loud, sing a song of praise about all of the many things that I have to be thankful for.

Smack dab in the middle of the Bible are 43 Psalms of Praise.  I love all of them.  What I am struck with the most as I read through these psalms is the fact that most of these praises of thanksgiving were not given in times of plenty and comfort.  They were sung in times of distress, in seasons of war, as they were coming out of exile, facing physical danger and even death. Or in times of God’s discipline for their sins.  So many of these psalms began with a cry of pain, fear or discouragement, a plea for rescue...and then their songs turned to praise and thanksgiving.  Their gratitude was not found without striving and intentionality...it didn’t come easily.  Sometimes it required looking back and seeing how God had been faithful in the past and had never forgotten or forsaken them.  Sometimes it required them singing praises of gratitude from the heart while their outward circumstances were hard.  Not waiting to be thankful once God delivered them, but while they were still in the midst of trouble.

I have learned so many lessons by reading these Psalms of Praise.  Some days thanksgiving comes easy and is a natural response to the wonderful blessings that surround me.  But other days gratitude comes from a heart that is crying out to God; it is hard fought for.  It comes with striving.  It calls for being intentional about seeking out what I have to be thankful for.  And so often the very pain, trial, hard circumstances that I am facing is exactly what I discover I am grateful for.  Because that’s where God is working on molding and shaping me, strengthening my faith, making me more compassionate, giving me motivation to follow Him above all else.  

Thankfulness is a gift of the heart...and yes, what a wonderful gift it is!  I pray that you are overwhelmed with such a feeling of gratitude no matter what your situation or circumstances are, that you are able to see how God is working in those circumstances, and that you know the ever faithful, never changing love He has for you.  

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

His faithful love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim 

That He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe 

And has gathered them from the lands - 

From the east and the west, 

From the north and the south.

Some wandered in the desolate wilderness, 

Finding no way to a city where they could live.

They were hungry and thirsty;

Their spirits failed within them.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; 

He rescued them from their distress

He led them by the right path

To go to a city where they could live.

Let them give thanks to the Lord

For His faithful love

And His wonderful works for all humanity.

For he has satisfied the thirsty 

And filled the hungry with good things.

Others sat in darkness and gloom -

Prisoners in cruel chains - 

Because they rebelled against God’s commands 

And despised the counsel of the Most High.

He broke their spirits with hard labor; 

They stumbled, and there was no one to help.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; 

He saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of the darkness and gloom

And broke their chains apart.

Let them give thanks to the Lord 

For His faithful love

And His wonderful works for all of humanity.

For He has broken down the bronze gates

And cut through the iron bars.

Fools suffered affliction

Because of their rebellious ways and their sins.

They loathed all food

And came near the gates of death.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; 

He saved them from their distress

He sent His word and healed them;

He rescued them from the pit.

Let them give thanks to the Lord

For His faithful love

And His wonderful works for all humanity.

Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving 

And announce His works with shouts of joy.

Others went to sea in ships,

Conducting trade on the vast waters.

They saw the Lord’s works,

His wonderful works in the deep.

He spoke and raised a tempest

That stirred up the waves of the sea.

Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,

Their courage melting away in anguish,

They reeled and staggered like drunken men,

And all their skill was useless.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, 

And He brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a murmur,

And the waves of the sea were hushed.

They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. 

Then He guided them to the harbor they longed for.

Let them give thanks to the Lord

For His faithful love

And His wonderful works for all humanity,

Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

And praise Him in the council of the elders.

He turns rivers into desert,

Springs of water into thirsty ground,

And fruitful land into salty wasteland,

Because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.

He turns a desert into a pool of water, 

Dry land into springs of water.

He causes the hungry to settle there,

And they establish a city where they can live.

They sow fields and plant vineyards

That yield a fruitful harvest.

He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

He does not let their livestock decrease.

When they are diminished and are humbled

By cruel oppression and sorrow,

He pours contempt on nobles

And makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

But He lifts the needy out of their suffering

And makes their families multiply like flocks.

The upright see it and rejoice,

And all injustice shuts its mouth.

Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things 

And consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love.

Psalm 107

Happy Thanksgiving all!

~Same~

Do you ever stop to think about the diversity of our planet?  

Did you know that there are over 1,000 different breeds of cattle?  

Over a thousand!!! 

I know of probably 15, but had no idea that there were so many different breeds!  

Around 10,000 different species of birds as well!  

Who knew!  

Over 15,000 species of fish.

And still counting!  

Just think about the diversity of our beautiful planet.

Mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, deserts and prairies, cities and rural areas.  

So many unique and different topographical wonders to explore.  

Not to mention all the other planets, solar systems, stars and heavenly wonders. 

Nothing is the same.  

Every animal, every species, every breed, every topographic area, every human being is different and unique.

I am continually amazed at how creative the Creator is.  

He could have chosen to make each of us exactly the same. 

Same in shape, size, hair and eye color, skin color.

All one big bunch of the same.  

But the Lord delights in different;

and He wants to delight us with different as well! 

Just think about how boring our world would be if we were all the same; 

Same in looks, ideas, interests, beliefs, thoughts, opinions, dreams,

passions, gifts, talents, abilities.  

Our differences bring color and joy to the world.  

Diversity in nature and in the Human Race is what makes life interesting and beautiful.

I pray that we could all learn to appreciate our differences

instead of fighting against them.

I pray that we could all be comfortable in our own skins

While celebrating other people being comfortable in the skin that God gave them.

I pray that we could learn from our differences,

Not force someone else to be the same as us,

But share our differences in a loving and respectable way.

We don’t want to be the same. 

God never intended for us to be the same.

He created us each uniquely and gave us each distinctive qualities…

Physical traits, character traits, passions and dreams.

We are not the same.

We are uniquely and wonderfully made.

Because the same God that created over 10 quintillion different kinds of bugs,

Created us each with intention and purpose, 

Not so that we could each be the same.

Notice

~Notice~

My friend Jessica took this photo the other day.  I love the way that the sunlight is shining through the leaf.  She said that she was just at the right place at the right time; I think that it was more than that.  I think that she took a moment to notice this leaf, and the way that the sun’s light was shining through the hole just right to create something of simple beauty.  She was able to take a pause and notice the beauty in front of her.  And trust me...if there is anyone who doesn’t have many spare moments in her day to take the time to notice simple things, it’s my friend Jess.  Her life is full and crazy and overwhelming most days.  I’m in awe of how much she is accomplishing.  And yet...she took the time to notice something as simple as the sunlight streaming through a fall leaf.  

I want to be like Jess and notice what is put in front of me.  Don’t we all?  I have to wonder how many times I have been in “the right place at the right time” and totally missed it because I was too concerned with all of the busyness around me!  How many leaves with sunlight streaming through them have I missed because I have my eyes to the job before me and I don’t look up?  How many wonderful sounds do I miss, a melody sung by a bird, the gurgle of the creek, the wind in the trees, the sound of my son’s laughter.  How many sights do I not take note of each day?  The color of the sky as the sun both makes its first appearance of the day and its last goodbye of the night.  The rich deviation of color as summer slowly fades into fall.  The unsuspecting doe and fawn grazing in the hay meadow.  The way that a flock of ducks come in for a landing on the creek.  The older couple walking hand in hand in the evening.

I’m always amazed at the skill of my photography friends.  I have to wonder if they have their cameras out and eyes on the lookout for the perfect image to snap at all times.  I think that they have eyes trained to see life around them more acutely and notice what a lot of us miss.  But what if we started looking at life around us with a photographer’s eye?   I don’t know the story of what’s going on in your life, what kind of hectic chaos you are facing today.  I suspect that, like me, you will be hastily walking from one task to the next, your mind on a to-do list a mile long.  Maybe you’re distracted by conflict; going over and over in your head a conversation with a friend or family member that was hard.  I imagine that Jessica was caught up in the chaos of her day as well, maybe she was just trying to figure out what in the world to cook for dinner that night when suddenly God shone His light through a leaf on a tree and Jessica stopped and took notice, really seeing the beauty in front of her.  At the right place at the right time?  Maybe, but she took a moment to notice and actually appreciate it, and I imagine that it brought her a little calm in the midst of her chaos.

"Other"

Some days I wake up just wanting to be someone or something other than what I am.  I have a desire to walk in someone else’s shoes.  Be in someone else’s skin.  Feel someone else’s emotions.  Write someone else’s story. I see others as being more healthy & fit, more qualified, more talented, more patient, more interesting, younger with more energy, more attractive, happier, better house, nicer car, bigger ranch, more cattle.  That other marriage looks better than mine.  The other moms seem to have it more together.  That other woman is so much further ahead in pursuing her passions.  That other girl still has her mom.  Some days I just long to be someone other than me.

I know it’s crazy.  I know that it makes no sense ...to want to live someone else’s life other than my own. Because I know that I know that I know that I have a wonderful life and I couldn’t want for more.  And yet don’t we all do this?  Compare and contrast?  Yesterday Pastor Matt spoke on envy; on the trap of comparison that we often find ourselves in.  Especially in this day and age of social media where other people's lives are front and center 24/7.  We can sure get caught up in wanting something other than what we have!  And yet, as Pastor Matt shared yesterday, envy is not only a trap that will get us stuck & miserable; it’s a sin!  We want what the other person has and we completely lose sight of what God has given us!  Envy always starts with comparison.  We all fall into comparing ourselves with others.  Comparison itself isn’t the sin, but it will most definitely lead to envy if we don’t watch and avoid the trap of it! And envy is a disease that will rot our bones, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”  Boy is that true!

If we could just get out of the comparison trap, and submit our lives to God, allowing Him to do in us and in our lives, our families, our talents, our passions, our jobs, our hobbies, our friendships and our ministries, what only He can do; then peace will follow, along with a good dose of contentment.  Instead of focusing on “others”....I choose to focus on God and know that He is doing a good work in me.

~Listen~

True confessions, real honesty and raw vulnerability here.  I love good conversations; I thrive on visiting with others.  Deep discussions or quick catch ups.  Over the phone, at the store, in the drive up at school, at my kitchen table.  I love to talk...but I am not a good listener.  I know this about myself.  I have known it about myself for a while; and yet still, I am not a good listener.  I tend to think about how I am going to respond while someone else is speaking.  And I interrupt…all the time I interrupt.  Because of course what I have to say trumps what the other person has to say.  Often, I don’t even realize that I do it until after the fact; but sometimes it does register with me in the very moment that I am not listening.  I also have a bad habit of distracted listening…going through the motions, but not being present with the one speaking.  Being on my phone.  Or deep in my thoughts.  Or letting busy work keep me from hearing.  It makes my heart hurt when I think about how bad of a listener I can be.  Anyone else relate?

At times I am not a good listener.  But the thing is that I want to be.  I want to be present and intentional with listening to the words of others.  I want to be able to look at them, pay attention to them and really hear what they are saying.  Because isn’t that ultimately what we want from others?  To really hear us, not just listen to us talk, but truly hear what is at the heart of what we’re saying?  I want to be a good listener because I want to see to the heart of what those around me are saying.  God didn’t intend for us to do this journey of life on our own, we need family, friends, community.  And one of the best ways that we can build on those relationships is to take the time to really listen to one another. Who knows what treasures we are missing because we aren't intentional with listening?

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."  James 1:19

Problem

I do not like problem solving.  In terms of math problems anyway...I go into instant panic mode when asked to solve any kind of math problem.   I think that there are people who do get some kind of sick fulfillment over math problems...I don’t get those people...I admire those people, but I definitely don’t get them.  Nope, math problems are not for me.   Trying to do it on paper with pencil just makes my head hurt and my anxiety rise.  It doesn’t have to be complex math...any math problem tends to give me hives.  Give me a calculator to solve a simple math problem though and I am good to go, problem solved, life goes on.  Thank the Lord for the invention of calculators!

I don’t like people problems either.  Messy relationships, misunderstood communication, hard feelings, resentment, bitterness, hurt and destructive behavior.  Problems that keep me up at night, cause anxiety to overwhelm and disturb my peace.  It doesn’t have to be my own personal problems.  Any person who is close to me & faces a problem I will take on myself and believe that it’s my responsibility to figure it out, find a solution, discover the right equation that will lead to the right answer.  I’m working on this part of my character; because although there is nothing wrong with loving others and having empathy and being there for them when they need me, I have come to realize that I am not the “Great Problem Solver”...in math or in people!  Only God is able to see all of the ins and outs of what problems people face, what got them there to begin with, why they might be stuck in it, and how their problems will ultimately be solved.  I’m not God.  I don’t have His perspective.  I don’t have His power.  I can be used as a tool to extend grace and mercy and wisdom and understanding; but at the end of the day He alone is able to solve the problems that we all face.  You might say that He is the Great Calculator!  

And what burdens that relieves!  To know that I am not responsible for fixing other people’s problems, and I can take my own problems and give them to Him to solve rather than trying to take control and do it myself.  I usually only end up making more of a mess and a bigger problem when I try and problem solve on my own.  But with God, He gives peace and understanding that brings compassion and grace.  And so I can confidently say “Come on World...bring it on!”  There is no problem too big or messy or complicated or seemingly unending that God is not aware of and working on.  And I firmly believe that God has our problems solved before we even realize that we have a problem to be solved.   “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  Philippians 4:6.  If we choose to make the Lord our ultimate problem solver, we can rest in Him to do the hard work!

Gift

I love good gifts.  I love giving good gifts, knowing that a loved one is opening up a gift from me that I have put a lot of thought into, maybe saved up for; a gift that expresses the fact that I know them, have paid attention to their likes, dislikes, sense of style, hobbies or interests, favorite colors or choices in music or books or scents.  I love seeing the look on their face when they open the package and see my love reflected in the gift I’ve given them. I’m not going to lie, I love getting good gifts too. For all of those same reasons; when I open up a present and know that the giver has spent time thinking about the joy I would experience in unwrapping the gift, I know that I am loved and cherished.  It’s less about collecting a bunch of “stuff” to add to an already growing collection of “stuff”...it is about the love and intention and sometimes sacrifice surrounding the gift than it is in the gift itself. I love good gifts.

When I think about the gifts that the Lord has given to me over the years, I realize that the same is true for Him.  He loves to give good gifts! Our lives, our very breath, our families, our friends, our health, our jobs or careers, our talents and abilities, His creation, our salvation & hope for eternity, His unbelievable grace and mercy.  All are good gifts from a loving and intentional Father who has put a lot of thought, and yes, sacrifice into gifting us with good things. Why does He delight in giving us good gifts? For no other reason than the indescribable love that He has for us.  He doesn’t have to give us good gifts, He could give us mediocre gifts, just enough to get us through life, but not give us joy in the unwrapping. He could give us just enough breath and health that we could survive but not really thrive, a job that doesn’t fulfill, families that just coexist but don’t love or support, relationships that are shallow, creation that sustains life but doesn’t amaze and thrill us in all of its beauty and diversity, abilities that help us get a job done but don’t fill us with purpose and pleasure.  Sometimes it feels like He is giving other people gifts that we would like for ourselves, but He always, always gives us gifts that are perfectly suited for us. And when it seems like the gift of health, relationships, fulfilling careers are passing us by, we can rest in the assurance that it’s because He has a greater plan and purpose for our lives than what those gifts alone can give us. Trust me, I have learned so many times that He knows best what a good gift is; my mother used to tell me “You can’t out-give God, Jana; He gives the best gifts.”