Happy day after Reformation Day! On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Wittemberg church door. Thus began the Protestant Reformation. One act of courageous obedience by a young monk sparked a revolution that changed the course of history. Thank You for His courage, Lord, and might we be men and women of courage as well, as we face the challenges of our day.
One quick story about Luther that I have always loved: During a particularly hard and difficult period of his life, Luther was carrying some heavy burdens and fighting a number of battles. Although usually of a happy and smiling disposition, Luther had become quite depressed and worried. His busy wife, Katherine, endured this for a number of days. Finally, one day Katherine met him at the door of their home wearing a black mourning dress.
"Who died?" Luther asked.
"God," Katherine responded.
"You foolish thing!" Luther told her. "Why this foolishness?"
"It is true," she insisted. "God must have died, or Doctor Luther would not be so sorrowful."
As he gazed at his wife, Luther was reminded of Who was in complete control, and he snapped out of his despondency.
So today, just a short and simple thanksgiving: for those who have gone before us and paved the way by their faithfulness. Thank you, Martin Luther. Thank You for your obedience, for your courage, and for your reminder that salvation is a gift from God by faith alone.
Thank you, John Calvin. Thank you, C.S. Lewis. Thank you, John Wesley. Thank you Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Thank you Amy Carmichael. Thank you Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Thank you for teaching us with your words, but more importantly for showing us with your lives.
Thank you parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles who have gone before us. Thank you for the irreplaceable gift and joy of family in our lives. Thank you for friends who have led the way to heaven and given the gift of love. Thank You, Lord, for all those who have come before us in faithfulness and love. Might we leave such a legacy of grace and good for those who come after us.
And just one little practical suggestion: Start a "Family Thanksgiving Book" each november. We have a battered, splattered with stains, spiral bound notebook that we pull out every November 1st. Most days of November (the goal is everyday, but that never happens--we are all about grace around here, because we need it!) we just try to get everyone to share about something for which they are thankful. And then we write it down. Just for the month of november, and then we put it away until the next year.
We began ours Nov. 1, 1995. Just to give you a taste of how profound our entries can be, the first page opens with a drawing and scribbles by our then 6 year old. It is labeled, "bunny butterflies"--not too certain what that is--and that is what she was thankful for. A few days later, our 4 year old son was thankful for clowns. The next day he was thankful for grapes, while his sister was thankful for her grandparents coming to grandparents day at Root Elementary that day. One common theme:when they couldn't think of anything else, they'd usually say, "I'm thankful for God." Well, you can't go wrong there!
We now love to pull it out, and after we add our daily thanksgivings, we sometimes look back at the evidences of God's past faithfulness in our lives--through the loss of grandparents, the birth of babies... well, just life, one day at a time. And God is always good, and His gifts just keep on coming.
So today, be thankful!! Remember those who have gone before, and thank the Lord. And if you can, write it down. To God be the glory.
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