Thankfulness

Sometimes its hard to be thankful. When you are lonely or full of despair, or your life is stuck and you just can't seem to get past the same awful lesson that God keeps taking you to over and over and over again. Then we get to November, Thanksgiving. And its thankful day. Its unbearable if you are in that place of unthankfulness. I don't know if you've ever been there, but I have, and its painful.

Yesterday a boy was eating his way through the grocery store, he was hungry, and he got caught. It was thanksgiving day - they called the police, and they arrested him. He was only a teenager; far from home, hungry, and lonely. He didn't look like he was having a very good thanksgiving, and the police and grocery store were not hot on the compassion aspects of the day. Off he went with three policemen, probably still aching in his stomach.

I am not condoning shoplifting or anything like that, but there are very real circumstances in peoples lives that drive them to a place where thanksgiving is just not the first thing on their lips. Its strange but having been in this place once in my life now, I no longer feel the need to make them thankful! No more, OH COME ON YOU MUST HAVE SOMETHING YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR!!!!!

Sometimes its okay to just sit in the midst of a persons despair and just be with them, support them, and honor their story by listening. There will be a time of thanksgiving for them, a time and a season of rejoicing.

I think having walked through the valley of the shadow of death, this thanksgiving was even that much sweeter, that much more wonderful, that much more rich.

My cup floweth over.......

Transitions

It seems pretty much everyone I speak to these days is going through some sort of transition - either they are scaling back, or they are being scaled back; they have lost their job or they are anticipating layoffs; they are in the midst of the shock waves this past year. And they are afraid. To one degree or another the changes in our world have had a cascading effect on many people forcing transitions, some good - and many difficult.

Today in church a scripture was sung that spoke to me deeply about transitions. It was so beautiful as we sung this scripture I imagined this to be a beautiful exchange, a sense of completion that you feel as you have moved fully from one transition to a new place. What a beautiful scripture to meditate on as you wait upon the Lord and discern what he has for you next in your journey, whatever it is that you are going through - let peace speak to your heart.

PSALM 85:8-13

I will listen to what the Lord God is saying
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.

Truly his salvation is very near to those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

Mercy and truth have met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

The Lord will indeed grant prosperity,
and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness shall go before him,
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.


I am in transition. Moving from a place of perfectionism to a place of understanding what it is that God requires of me, moving from a place of blind faith to a place of rich faith in a God that is full of mercy. The painful truth is that transitions can take time to navigate through.

What will you make of your season of transition? To each one of us its very personal, however God is merciful and full of goodness. He will meet your every need along the way.

Peace.

What makes it possible to love those we think are unlovable?

To several someones in her life, our little girl was an outcast. I've been writing and thinking a lot about loving the unlovable, or those that it isn't easy for us to love. How is it then that for us she is the apple of our eye, the joy of our life, the center of our days.....she makes us full. How can that be that to a system half a world a way she was at one point just a file, a nothing, low and unloved....yet the Lord saw fit to lift her up, put her in our hearts and put her in this family where she is so loved we can't stop pinching ourselves we are so blessed by her in our lives?

Why hasn't he given me those same eyes and that same heart for the person who cuts me off on the road, where is my compassion then, it goes right out the window. Or the person who takes my seat, when I get up only to get a napkin at the food court, or worse the Christian neighbor who doesn't act like either, where is my ability to love with these folks, when it all came so easy for me with our little girl. Why her, why then, why that stranger, and not all the others? What will it take to love every stranger (not like) but love, and eventually maybe one day have a heart of compassion as well.....in this new year, that is my prayer. That I would begin to love and look at each person I come in contact with like I first looked at my Gigi; with compassion and love.

How does this happen? I think going back to my blog last week about the quiet retreat (for women - yes please please try this at your churches you will all be blessed); we ended with the Lords supper. Our Rev. Diane, had us serve each other, and for me although it was kind of funny what happened, Gods learning for me was through to the end. We served each other the elements at the end. As I went to serve the lady to my left, I was so nervous I would give her too much of the wine I didn't even give her any....then nervous I would repeat my mistake I gave her so much she basically choked on the communion wine.....

That is a perfect picture for how I tend to approach strangers, with timidity I tend to not give enough for fear I will overdo...then when its not enough I do too much, and overwhelm. I've come to realize the only way I can extend the love I so want to to that stranger is by meeting Jesus at the table, with his broken body and spilt blood he shows me how to love. He demonstrates for me true love poured out for everyone. This is my real lesson, and maybe just maybe as time goes on, little by little, week by week, as He makes Himself more and more real to me; I will make myself more real to the stranger, the downtrodden, the poor, the unloved, and the unlovable. Its so easy to love the people who are fun and easy to be with, but my goal this year is to be an outstretched hand to the people who I don't understand and who don't understand me.

I look at the picture in this post, and I remember, three years ago exactly this Christmas we brought home a baby who was terrified of dogs, who now rides upon a huge horse commanding it about the arena with sureness and certainty. That my friends is the power of love. Love abounding in a child's life that speaks possibility and life into them. We can be that as the body of Christ and as brothers and sisters for each other.