Thankful

We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)

I went to a Christian boarding school during my high school years. I loved going to school there but I was definitely a rebellious teen and didn’t want to have a lot to do with the religious “establishment”.

During my junior year, I was friends with this guy. Most of his friends called him Seenarine. He was fun. We hung out at times and for the most part I enjoyed our friendship. One thing that I remember as a little bothersome was he would frequently talk to me about Jesus. He kept saying that Jesus wanted to be my friend and that he wanted me to get to know Him.

I don’t recall being really interested in this but he would mention it during our conversations, walking the halls of the buildings, during the sporting events.....you get the idea. One day, I think I was expressing my disbelief that God was involved at all and he said “Why don’t you test it? Ask him for something and see what happens.”

At the time I worked part-time in the school auto body shop as a Teacher’s Aide. The “office” was gray. It was always dusty and dirty and bare bones as far as chairs, desks, and office supplies was concerned. There wasn’t even a trash can in the office. So, I prayed “Lord, if you are there please send something new for the office.”

A couple days went by. I forgot about the prayer. One day I went to the office and as I was working I went to throw something away and realized my trash can was missing. I said out loud “Hey, who took my trash can. It was brand new. I just got it!” Then it hit me. The trash can had showed up in the office right after I prayed. I didn’t even notice it. It wasn’t until it was gone that I realized that God had answered my prayer.

All these years later I still remember this like it was yesterday. It was my first realization that God was real and he did want to be in a relationship with me. It was such a little thing but the profound movement in my soul was undeniable.

Why am I sharing this on Thanksgiving? Because as I look back over my life I realize that God showed up over and over again so our relationship would grow. It took years for me to commit my life to Him and become a disciple that makes disciples. But He never stopped trying to get my attention. I am thankful that He loves me that much.

There are so many circumstances and people that were put into my life so I would learn to love Him. I am thankful for people like Seenarine who were willing to share their love of Jesus with me so I could see Jesus. I am so thankful for this God-journey.

I bet if you thought back through your life you would see God’s hand leading and guiding you too. I bet you would remember the times that He showed up and touched your life so you too would fall in love with Him.

I can’t think of anything more worthy of thanks. Can you?

Banquet Tables

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 (ESV)

Imagine sitting at a banquet table where every part of the table is filled with bounty, with blessings. You can hardly see the table for all that is displayed before you. Imagine just as you start to dig into the array of goodness, an enemy comes to sit across from you. He/She doesn’t do anything. They just sit there.

God says “Look, I’ve prepared this just for you. Dig in.” You want to dig into the bounty but you can’t. You are so fixated on what is sitting across from you at the table, you don’t lift a finger to begin enjoying your feast. Instead, you stay riveted on the distraction that occupies your focus and you do not enjoy the gift you have been given.

It’s interesting that Psalm 23:5 says God prepares a banquet for us in the presence of our enemies. We talked about this in our Bible Study group.  A couple questions were asked. If there was a banquet table in front of you, what would be on it? And, What enemy/distraction is sitting in front of you that is preventing you from enjoying God’s provision? How would you answer those questions?

So often I find myself looking at what is causing my anxiety instead of the Person who is overflowing my cup. God’s table is always full. Even in the middle of hard things in life, there are blessings to be had. I know they might be subtle but they are there. Things like the smile of a child or the simple prayer of someone you love. Or the almost imperceptible way that God is moving in people‘s hearts.

I know there are people who are suffering. I know they look at the table before them and really can’t see any blessings. They are hurting. I bet you know folks like this too. If that is the case, maybe you can be the blessing that shows up on their table. Maybe you can reach out and show them love in a way that will change their perception of life. You can show them Jesus.

As we head into Thanksgiving, remember to count your blessings. More importantly, remember to be the reason someone is thankful.

For Everything

Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (HCSB)

This morning, I woke up feeling a little overwhelmed by a “thing” that is in my life. I decided, since it was Thanksgiving, I was going to sit down and write a list of everything I was thankful for. As I started to write, I quickly realized, there was no way I could get this list done in one sitting. There were too many people, too many events, too many ways God speaks. It was an amazing moment.

Then, I decided that since I wasn’t going to be able to write it down, I would say it. Today, I am going to tell everyone I see that I am thankful for them.

You try it. What are you thankful for today? Even if there is a trouble in your life, there are still things to be thankful for. Write it down. And then, share the love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Different Day - Different Mercy

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3;22-23 (ESV)

As we enter into the Thanksgiving season, I’ve been thinking of things I am thankful for. One of them is relayed in this text.

Think about it. God’s mercies are new every morning. This word chadash is defined as new, new thing, fresh. I personally am really happy about this. Some mornings, I need mercies because I am grumpy and not being considerate of other people. Some mornings, I am way too busy and distracted and don’t do what God is asking me to do. Other days, I am worrying and not trusting God for things I know he is going to handle (because he promises he will.)

Each day when I open my eyes, I will need a new, fresh, different mercy than I did the day before. Each day, I will need to be forgiven differently than previous days (or even hours.) Great is his faithfulness.

Every moment of every day we receive his mercy. We receive his unconditional love and his grace. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It is a gift.  

This stretches my mind and leans heavily into my heart. It produces gratitude and love. This is definitely something for which I give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Do You Yadah?

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High Psalm 92:1 (ESV)

The other day I came across a note in a book that the word to give thanks in Hebrew was yadah. It made me think of the slang term we use when we are talking about repetitive things. You know, you are telling a story and instead of going on and on you say yada, yada, yada.

What if we used yadah instead of yada in life?

For example, when your boss comes in to tell you that the project you turned in bombed you respond with yadah, yadah, yadah? Or when your neighbor starts complaining about another neighbor. Your response? Yadah, yadah, yadah. Or you are in a fender bender and the person you tapped is yelling at you; yadah, yadah, yadah.

As I thought about this, it made me laugh. And truly, it may be a little silly but the Bible tells us to give thanks in all things. There are days when remembering to do that is challenging. Adding a little humor to it may help.

Where are you going to yadah yadah today?

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Beneficial Scarring

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 (NLT)

There is a song that I’ve been thinking about lately called Scars by I Am They. The chorus goes like this:

So I'm thankful for the scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know your heart
And I know they'll always tell of who you are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

Later in the song, the chorus changes to:

I'm thankful for your scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know your heart
And with my life, I'll tell of who you are
So forever I am thankful

Notice the subtle shift? Paul understood this so well. Whenever he suffered, he knew his suffering would produce two things. One, he would see more of who God was through his suffering. He would learn of his character and of his grace. Two, he would be pointed back to the cross. Through Jesus suffering we also learn of his character and love for us.

There are many days I wish that I didn’t have to walk through some of the things I walk through but when I look back, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have grown closer to Jesus through it. I know I’ve learned who my God is and to trust him.

So, I too, am thankful for the scars. I am thankful for them because without them I would know Jesus a little less. I wouldn’t trade my scars for anything because that would mean less of him in my life.

A Minute In It - Where Is Everybody?

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read the passage below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” Luke 17:11-17 (NLT)

Why did the the 10 lepers cry out to Jesus?
What did they want from him?
What did they have to do before Jesus healed them?
How many returned to thank him and praise him?
Why didn’t they all come back to thank him?
When you ask Jesus for something, do you follow his instructions?
What do you really want from Jesus?
When was the last time you thanked him for hearing and answering your prayers?

Giving Thanks No Matter What

I have this friend and I love her to pieces. When I am complaining about my life, sometimes she looks at me and says “Elaine, those are first world problems.” And she’s right. Some of the things I whine about are definitely not problems.

But, there are problems that are not first world. There are days when the news is overwhelming and you can’t see how you are going to get through.

Whether you are dealing with pesky problems or life altering news, giving thanks is important. Maybe we aren’t going to give thanks for the horrible news we just received but we can give thanks for things around it. We can give thanks for people that help us on the journey. We can give thanks for God’s voice in the middle of the mess. We can give thanks that nothing we are walking through ever surprised God. He is in it with us.

In America today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving. Maybe we shouldn’t just give thanks for our bounty but also for the trials that draw us closer to our Creator.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 (NLT)

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30