More than a century ago, John Broadus said, "We are so taken up with the affairs of the present that we don't have time to give thanks for the blessings of the past."
Oh my, in our fast-paced technology-crazy, sound-bite driven culture, how much more is the that the sad state of affairs? So preoccupied with our to-do lists that we're too busy to look back. Too busy to pause and reflect. Too busy to be thankful. Too busy to express our gratitude to the Lord, to our loved ones, to the people in our paths.
I've said it a million times....but I love, love, love Thanksgiving. A purposeful setting aside of time to enjoy being with your loved ones (praise God--children returning home!), to savor feasting on the most delectable of foods, and to reflect on God's extravagant goodness in your life--how could you ever go wrong with all that? And, joyfully, no giant expectations of gift buying and home decorating--thank You, Lord! Add to that the wondrous story of Thanksgiving with pilgrims and indians and God's faithfulness, and well, there's no doubt about it: you simply cannot beat Thanksgiving.
But sadly, to my shame, I'm already beginning to feel the edges of anxiety gnawing at my heart...how many days till Christmas? Oh mercy, not going there.
Seriously, just now--after writing these words on thankfulness--I ran to pick up our youngest son, and I found myself fussing about the traffic, fretting about all the things I've got to do, grumpy and irritable for no particular reason. Oh my stars!! Lord I believe...help my faithless, fretting, fussing unbelief!
So here's the thing--there's only one way to defeat all that: purposeful daily pausing to spend time with the Lord in His Word, in prayer, in praise and thanksgiving. Thankfulness, peacefulness, faithfulness is not our default mode, is it? Nope, it'll never just happen. We have to daily choose to make it happen.
We have to daily be reminded of God's presence, His goodness, His love, His grace, His faithfulness in our lives and in our world. We have to daily remember to look to Him and worship the sovereign Creator rather than all the stuff He's created. We have to daily reflect on all our reasons for gratitude rather than grumble. We have to daily choose to humble ourselves, seek His forgiveness, ask for His grace. We have to daily choose to worship Him rather than indulge in self-focused worry.
I loved these words by Matt Boswell: "Thankfulness is the fuel for living worship. While our gatherings are a theater for our thankfulness, our entire lives should be marked by gratitude. As we allow the truths of the gospel to enlarge our hearts, we find ever-increasing room for thankfulness to God...We are a tired and forgetful people, who need to be once again gripped by the glory of God. And we all of us have much to be thankful for." And all God's people said: AMEN!
It's a daily need, this need for fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), for thankfulness, for worship. And yes, we can become mighty tired and forgetful this time of year, can we not? So today, this moment, pause. Reflect and give thanks. Open the Word and worship. Take a deep breath...look around and savor a glimpse of the glory of God...stand in awe and wonder at the greatness of Your God. And give Him glory. Today.
To God be the glory.
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