The other night after our worship gathering, I was standing and talking to someone when a girl came running up to me to give me something. This particular girl is part of a family that our church has helped on several occasions. When I looked at what she had given me, many struggles that I had been dealing with that very day, and the week before, were suddenly brought into a sharp focus. It was a "thank you" card.
During the children's service, they had been studying about giving thanks. Then they did a craft to help reinforce what they had learned. They made these cards to say "thank you" to whomever they felt deserved it. This little girl had any number of people that she could thank, but decided to thank me. As I stood there looking at her shiny pink hair and hand-me-down clothes, she said as she hugged me, "You are the one I wanted to thank."
You see, I had come into the building that night struggling with a long week at my day job, stressed over the time I was putting into it, while I had so much to do for our church. I had been dealing with how I was going to get a project done for the seminary class I am attending, trying to figure out when I was going to find time to buy my wife a birthday present, play with my kids, pray and have devotions, study for next weeks sermon, and on and on. None of these are bad things, but I was struck with a thought, as this little girl, that so many might be quick to look past, offered such a nice gesture.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you, in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
It was not that I should not have been thinking about those things. It was just that in the midst of it all, I had forgotten to be thankful. I was not being grateful that I am blessed to have a job that pays the bills, grateful that I can afford to go to seminary, buy my wife a birthday present, grateful that I have kids that want to play with me, and grateful that God uses me in His work. All of this, while I know for a fact, this little girl's family has needed help buying groceries, clothes, paying for utilities, and other basic necessities that most of us normally take for granted.
Let me encourage you to stop right now and think about all that you have to be thankful for, and then who it is that deserves that gratitude. While I received thanks from this little girl, it is our church that has done the work, but ultimately it is God, through His Son Jesus Christ, that worked in our hearts and provided for us so that we might help them. Therefore, I say, "Thank you Father, for blessing us so that we might be used to show your awe inspiring love in such a special way."
Let me know what it is that you have to be thankful for this year. I would love to share it so that people can hear how God is working. For those of you that are part of The Way I would even like to do something special with the things you share. Email me; I will keep the names confidential unless you give me permission to share. seth@thewayfaithcommunity.com.
