Give Thanks
Friday, November 23, 2007
Yesterday was a true day of Thanks-giving. After I got off work from the dinner theater, we gathered at my mom and dad's for a homemade feast of roasted turkery, sweet potatoes, zucchini bread, green bean casserole, cranberry fluff salad, etc. . . . The food was amazing, of course. But everything was soul-satisfying, I think, because the real feast was found in the gathering:
Six-year old Ryker played with his new canister of "Flarp," giggling for hours about contrived gas-passing. He never tired of the flatulent fun.
Nine-year old Jennifer turned eager-entrepeneur, and made $6.00 selling foot and backrubs to the near-geriatric, couch-loving crowd.
Three-year old Sean played chase with "Grandpa," mixing up the familiar tease "na-na-na boo," calling out instead, "Na-na-na cuckoo."
Mom passed out personalized, country-cute stockings with handstitched names on the Christmas cuffs.
Rich and my dad caught pieces of the football game.
I crashed out on the couch, sleepy from a hard day's work, THANKFUL for all these special people in my life.
I love thanks-giving, and I see the spiritual necessity of articulating gratitude. Too often, circumstances can cloud our vision. It's easy--in our war-weary world--to lose sight of all that is good, and "wonder"-full, and worthy of praise! When pain and problems and impossibilities become the focal point, then our lives flood with fear, frustration, bitterness, anger. And we are all--together--in danger of drowning.
But at the same time, there is a grave risk in flipping things to the other extreme. When we don't give pain the proper place in our lives--when we force ourselves to wear smiles that lie, or we deny legitimate griefs--we become soul sick. Because as much as we think we're setting aside problems for a more positive, thankful perspective, somehow the pain and impossibilities still consume. We're so busy "covering up," denying, pretending, that pain still has a fierce, controlling grip.
When we fail to face our suffering, we are robbed of real gratitude. We lose sight of Christ, who is marked with stripes--both ours and his.
In other words, thanks-giving starts with God, not us.
I was visiting a few other blogs this Thanksgiving, and I ran across a familiar verse:
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thess. 5:18 MSG)
Given the sadness of our lives, we wonder what to do with such a mandate: be cheerful always. The words can confuse and burden the hearts of those who wear grief. And too often the message is misconstrued, strapping lifeless cliches around people's necks like heavy stones.
How can we be cheerful always, and human at the same time?
If true thankfulness starts with God, then first we must bring our very real feelings and heartaches to him. Being cheerful no matter what does not mean: hide the truth, deny what is real, smile when you feel like crying. Rather, tears are a form of integrity. When we let our insides match our outsides, we are living in harmony with God and who he has made us to be.
Tears don't betray faith. Tears are not unspiritual! Rather, tears help us to SEE God, life, the world, with rich, deep, true Christ-filled compassion. Its where true thanks-giving begins.
“O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. . . But I am trusting you, O lord. You alone are my God; my times are in your hands. . . .
Oh how great is your goodness!
Blessed is the Lord, for he has show me that his never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort. . .So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord."
(Ps. 31:9-10, 14, 21, 24).
I trust that you have much to smile about this Thanksgiving. I also pray you have the courage to cry.
Live with integrity! Cry when your soul says cry. And may the eyes of your heart be washed clean, so that like the Psalmist, David, you are able to SEE God's goodness and thank Him no matter what happens.
Six-year old Ryker played with his new canister of "Flarp," giggling for hours about contrived gas-passing. He never tired of the flatulent fun.
Nine-year old Jennifer turned eager-entrepeneur, and made $6.00 selling foot and backrubs to the near-geriatric, couch-loving crowd.
Three-year old Sean played chase with "Grandpa," mixing up the familiar tease "na-na-na boo," calling out instead, "Na-na-na cuckoo."
Mom passed out personalized, country-cute stockings with handstitched names on the Christmas cuffs.
Rich and my dad caught pieces of the football game.
I crashed out on the couch, sleepy from a hard day's work, THANKFUL for all these special people in my life.
I love thanks-giving, and I see the spiritual necessity of articulating gratitude. Too often, circumstances can cloud our vision. It's easy--in our war-weary world--to lose sight of all that is good, and "wonder"-full, and worthy of praise! When pain and problems and impossibilities become the focal point, then our lives flood with fear, frustration, bitterness, anger. And we are all--together--in danger of drowning.
But at the same time, there is a grave risk in flipping things to the other extreme. When we don't give pain the proper place in our lives--when we force ourselves to wear smiles that lie, or we deny legitimate griefs--we become soul sick. Because as much as we think we're setting aside problems for a more positive, thankful perspective, somehow the pain and impossibilities still consume. We're so busy "covering up," denying, pretending, that pain still has a fierce, controlling grip.
When we fail to face our suffering, we are robbed of real gratitude. We lose sight of Christ, who is marked with stripes--both ours and his.
In other words, thanks-giving starts with God, not us.
I was visiting a few other blogs this Thanksgiving, and I ran across a familiar verse:
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thess. 5:18 MSG)
Given the sadness of our lives, we wonder what to do with such a mandate: be cheerful always. The words can confuse and burden the hearts of those who wear grief. And too often the message is misconstrued, strapping lifeless cliches around people's necks like heavy stones.
How can we be cheerful always, and human at the same time?
If true thankfulness starts with God, then first we must bring our very real feelings and heartaches to him. Being cheerful no matter what does not mean: hide the truth, deny what is real, smile when you feel like crying. Rather, tears are a form of integrity. When we let our insides match our outsides, we are living in harmony with God and who he has made us to be.
Tears don't betray faith. Tears are not unspiritual! Rather, tears help us to SEE God, life, the world, with rich, deep, true Christ-filled compassion. Its where true thanks-giving begins.
“O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. . . But I am trusting you, O lord. You alone are my God; my times are in your hands. . . .
Oh how great is your goodness!
Blessed is the Lord, for he has show me that his never-failing love protects me like the walls of a fort. . .So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord."
(Ps. 31:9-10, 14, 21, 24).
I trust that you have much to smile about this Thanksgiving. I also pray you have the courage to cry.
Live with integrity! Cry when your soul says cry. And may the eyes of your heart be washed clean, so that like the Psalmist, David, you are able to SEE God's goodness and thank Him no matter what happens.
