THANKfull and Resilient is Living and Loving Large

A THANKfull life is a resilient life

"...our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness..." (Ezra 9:9a)

I have probably written this before, but when I am down, or in a bad place emotionally, counting blessings truly does make a difference. If nothing else it takes the focus off me and forces me to look with eyes wide open, for the good things all around.

It is easy some days to get lost in the struggles and difficulties. But, by opening my eyes I can see the silver lining in most situations. Just jotting down a few of them in my journal, right next to my complaints and moaning brings perspective.

The truth of the matter is, God is good...all the time. He loves us...all the time.  He is good when we can't pay our bills, when divorce tears a family apart, when illness bring death. He is good.

The truth we tend to believe are the lies the enemy imparts every chance he gets. "You deserve better. You're not lovable. This is as good as it gets so give up now."  Lies, every one of them. 

When I/we turn from griping about our plot in life, to gripping God's goodness and embracing His word, it all comes together. Thankfulness leads to confidence in our circumstances and provides hope for the future because it “renews our minds” and shifts our focus from lack to abundance, and from our circumstances to our Savior.

 Ezra 9:8-9

New Perspective through Gratitude

"Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." (Proverbs 13:10)

What is courage? Do you feel you are brave, or courageous? I certainly don't. I find myself always second-guessing decisions I make. Even after praying about them, I still waiver. Why? A lack of trust is where I always return; never totaling relying on God for my needs.

So, does that mean that if I do trust I will never have to wonder where my next meal is coming from, how I will pay the hospital bill?  Matthew 6:33 says to, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you."

Those times when I begin to consider all that could go wrong with my life, my future, I have learned to take a deep breath and count my blessings. I know, that sounds so trite and illogical, irrational even, but it works. As the list grows, my eyes are opened to just how fortunate I am and then just how thankful I should be.

Life is filled with ups and downs and uncertainty, but that is exactly where our faith steps in. That is why our daily devotional readings often teach us that it is during these difficult times we grow. It is during the darkest hours we turn to God and He loves us through it all. He sends the Holy Spirit and we find peace and we discover the gift of thankfullness through gratitude and humility.


Proverbs 13:10-14

Sow, Grow And Give It Away

2 Corinthians 9:5-15

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (v. 8)

Our Heavenly Father gives us what we need, though we often feel we don’t have enough.  The world feeds this notion of constantly needing more and never being content.  Today’s passage is a reminder that if we’re willing to be generous and give what we have, He’ll make sure our TRUE needs are always met.  God is our seed supplier. He gives us what we need to sow and grow abundantly.  Lives that are full of God are wealthy beyond compare.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (v. 11)

The circle of generosity is wide.  God is generous with us; therefore, we are to be generous with others, so they in turn can be generous with even more.  Others will praise God because they have witnessed an example of obedience and they will pray – each person filling the other in loving gratitude for the grace God has given.

Dear God, you bless us abundantly.  Help us see we have more than we need and that by being generous with our gifts, we will enrich the lives of others and in return, will be enriched in ways we could never imagine.  As it states in verse 15, Thanks be to God, for your indescribable gift!  Amen

Gratitude

“After taking the cup, [Jesus] gave thanks ... And he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them ...”  Luke 22:17, 19

Stop and ask yourself, “When am I most thankful?”  [And take time to answer.  We can wait...]

Pondering this question, I identified three types of scenarios in which I find myself most thankful.

When someone helps with or eliminates an overwhelming challenge for me, I am especially grateful.  And greatly relieved!  For not only is the obstacle gone, so too is the anxiety that accompanied it.  Those are the moments when we pause and heave a great sigh of relief, “Thank you!” ... and “Thank you, God!”

Then there are the gifts that clearly involved great sacrifice, whether time or money.  When we were engaged, Peggy gave me for Christmas a beautiful quilt over which she had toiled for several months.  The thought of the love flowing out through those painstaking hours brought tears to my eyes then, and brings a lump to the throat even now.

And I treasure humble gifts, given from a loving heart.  My son, Matthew, and I took up golf when he was 12 and I in my early 40's.  AFter I shot under 50 for nine holes for the first time, this middle-school boy surprised me with a sleeve of golf balls purchased with his own money to celebrate the occasion.  That box and its contents sit as a trophy on my nightstand even now, not to memorialize my score that day, but as a treasured reminder of my son’s love for me, expressed in a simple gift.

As I thought about these “thanksgiving” occasions, it occurred to me that they all share one thing in common.  They all emanate from grace – undeserved favor.  Which I guess makes sense.  For what is thankfulness, but gratitude?  And what is gratitude, literally, but the soul’s overwhelming response to grace?

How different might this Thanksgiving be if, in addition to thinking of the blessings in our lives, we ask ourselves, “What favor have I received that I clearly did not deserve?”

[To see the daily reading in Luke 22:14-23, click here.]