Shared Hope: 'Be all in for this day' of Thanksgiving
Do you remember moments when your world shifted from black and white to color?
Maybe it was when you’d had a round of the flu, been curled in bed feeling sicker than a dog. Then, one morning, you woke and realized the aching was gone. The fever? Gone! Holding your breath, you tested each body part … YES! The flu had passed, and you felt as though someone had opened the blinds, and sun was streaming through.
Perhaps you understand the stress of waiting for a biopsy report. Then the phone rang or the doctor walked in. In the light of good news, clouds parted and were swept away. Hallelujah!
Or your teenager was out — past his curfew! Worry grew and gained speed. Then the door opened, and he was home. Thank you, Lord.
Following these dramatic turns, we were exhilarated and grateful. Between those nerve-wracking moments, however, did we remember to be grateful for everyday gifts? Most of the time? Occasionally? Now and then? Well, help is at hand. Around the corner is Thanksgiving. Please — set aside the frenzy of holiday spending and the craziness of Black Friday while you take this sacred Thursday seriously, an entire day to bask in the joy of living and giving thanks.
Not only does gratitude increase our joy, it makes us powerful. Author Lisa Appelo has written about this extensively, and I’ve borrowed a few concepts:
Gratitude brings us closer to God. If we recognize life and its many qualities as gifts, then we acknowledge there is a Giver. “There’s a beautiful cycle in giving God thanks,” she wrote. “The more we thank Him, the more we see Him working in us and around us. Gratitude helps us sense God’s presence, His personal care and His perfect timing.”
Gratitude brings peace. I love the old song about “counting our blessings instead of sheep.” Perhaps you have mulled that over during a sleepless night. Worry has a way of stalking us when the lights go out, and all distractions are gone. Gratitude reminds us that our lives are fully covered by God’s grace and gifts. Focusing on that lessens, even erases, the power of worry and fear.
“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7)."
Gratitude draws us to God. When Jesus healed 10 lepers, all were happy, but only one came back to Him, fell at His feet and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then He said to the man, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well ( Luke 17:17-19)."
Gratitude brings contentment. The world of “more” is always in our sight, like the carrot dangled in front of a horse. Discontent keeps us from focusing on where we are and what we have. Envy is a crippling game that nobody wins. Gratitude, on the other hand, turns what we have into enough. If we’re not grateful for what God has provided, we’re not likely to be content with more.
Gratitude deepens faith. When we look back, and remember hard times we’ve endured, we see the faithfulness of God. Like most of you, I experienced a really rough patch in life. In time, God’s faithfulness brought about the most amazing results ... a meaningful career, a beautiful marriage, forgiveness and grace. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1)."
Gratitude helps us live in the present. “Wherever you are, be all there,” missionary Jim Elliot famously said. Most of us rush on to the next thing rather than completely entering into the “now.” Last week, on a busy day, I rushed out the door and left my iPhone at home. It felt as though I had lost a piece of my brain. How many moments have I truly lost because I was distracted by that phone and not “all there.” In sanctuaries, concert halls and family gatherings, I sit around people who just can’t leave their phones alone. They’re missing so much by looking at so little.
Be all in for this day. Color it with a time of devotion and meditation, or engaging in a beautifully read prayer, maybe just murmuring a sincere thank you, but let’s give thanks to the Creator for, indeed, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jane Jayroe Gamble: 'Be all in for this day' of Thanksgiving
