Thanksgiving Week Thoughts

    It bothers me how Thanksgiving's spot between Halloween and Christmas is getting squeezed into near oblivion. People aren't that interested in celebrating. It has become stressful for so many in the world around us to interact with their families. Not only that, there is a majority of people that have no heart knowledge of Thanksgiving. This makes it rather difficult for them to find things to be thankful for. 

    For those of us that have received the great gift of Salvation, it is true that thankfulness ought to reside in our hearts year round, but I can't help but believe it still thrills our Heavenly Father to see us set aside a day of special remembrance of all the wonderful things we have been given. How does the act of giving thanks really affect our lives? I have several ideas.

    The first one I am convinced of is that a spirit of true gratitude provokes us to action. It is not passively sitting in your house ticking off a list of possessions you appreciate. Instead, it prompts us to reach out to others, to give as we have been given. The great joy and wonder in our hearts at all that has been done for us will lead us into sharing the love we feel with others. It will promote greater understanding and compassion for those around us, and lead us to make sacrifices. True gratitude is not at all embodied in reveling in one's own fortune and dismissing those we see struggling, as the Pharisee did, by saying, "I thank Thee that I am not as other men are!"

    In Sunday School a couple weeks ago, we had a discussion about fighting temptations. Someone suggested that perhaps the prayers of thanksgiving we pray provide layers of protection from the things that would harm us. Isn't that just a beautiful thought? How our Father must delight in the thankful heart! The more we recognize the wondrous things He does for us, the more we realize our complete need of Him and our complete lack of ability to function without His hand holding ours. Thus our thankfulness to Him only continues to grow.

    The last thought I am going to leave here is a personal story. It happened many years ago, but it remains very dear to my heart. I am a person naturally inclined to inferior feelings. One evening, as I knelt in prayer, the Spirit spoke to me quite clearly. I could hardly believe what I heard, for it sounded ridiculous to my ears. "Don't get up until you have thanked God for something about yourself." 

    Quite a battle ensued! I had the clear impression that my "thankful" must be completely sincere, not just something quickly murmured in order to get duty out of the way. But the price I must pay for such a prayer! I did not realize until much later how thanking God for making me the person I was took away any right I felt I had to be even remotely bitter for how I was created. Today I cannot tell you what thing I finally found to be thankful for, but I can tell you that after spending several minutes in contemplation with the rough fibers of the rug making imprints on my knees, there was a small victory in my battle with inferiority. 

    This Thanksgiving season, as you bow your head in gratitude to our Maker, may you and I together realize how being truly thankful gives us a freedom to love, to care, and to trust because we realize all we have comes not from ourselves, but from He who created the universe and all that is in it.

    Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving! 

Sewing

      I do not like to sew. Something about it just does not seem to be compatible with how I was created. Machines break down. Threads snarl. Fabric ends up with holes where holes were never meant to be. Pieces slip and slide. The finished product is sometimes hardly fit to wear.

    I will do almost anything to avoid sewing. There are times I have even resorted to cleaning just to keep from picking up the scissors. Ask my family. That says something. My procrastination skills take on the worst form in this ability to invent other things to do. Doubtless, you, too, have things you dread doing.

    How is my heart when it comes to sin? Is sin something that I hate? Will I do anything to avoid it? When I am faced with a temptation to gossip, do I find something pleasant to say instead? How willing am I to put effort into avoiding the things the world offers me? Would I consider deleting my favorite app in order to save my relationship with God? Will I pick up my Bible and read to avoid the fears the Devil tries to feed me? These are the questions I have been asking myself.

    We have the ability to find excuses to avoid things we dislike. Let us be sure that our hate for sin is what it should be. Don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that it looks nice for a time. Any type of sacrifice we are called on to make is not some silly request that we can easily refuse. Walking in a path that leads near temptation is not something to shrug off. These are matters of life and death, Heaven or Hell. May our eyes be ever open to the terribleness of the things the Devil offers us, and may our hearts turn ever upward, following the path down which our Savior gently calls us to walk.

I am a Warrior

     Someone sent me a song that starts out "I am a warrior in an army that will never know defeat." The phrase stopped me in my tracks. It was too incredible of a thought to fully comprehend. My King is the leader of the greatest army ever to exist. Not because He has such great soldiers, but because His own might, power, and majesty are beyond any other that have ever been or will be. Psalm 95:3 says "For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods."
    There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can defeat Him. This thought made me feel so warm and comforted. Why do I ever flirt with the world and the things it offers? Why do I ever risk my membership in such an army to taste of an offended attitude or critical spirit? 
    Some of us love to win. Imagine knowing that you were going to win every game you played. You could confidently hold all the worst cards in your hand, yet know you would come out on top every time. That's how great our King is! It doesn't matter what happens in the world around us, what personal disasters we face, what pain and turmoil ensue. His love, His power will always win in the end. 
    Let us not entirely underestimate the enemy, however. He is watching with great cunning for any weakness we may show. One of his favorite tactics is fear. If he can make us fear losing, if he can make us fear pain, he knows he may not have won the war, but be at least halfway to defeating one soldier. Our only hope lies in drawing nearer, ever nearer to our King. One of our greatest weapons is to sing triumphant songs of victory in the face of fear. 
    We are all warriors. We don't know what twists and turns the battles here on earth will take, but we do have a hope everlasting and an Almighty King. Let each one of us face tomorrow with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts, for has He not promised? "One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you."
    I want to keep the thought ever in my heart that the army I am part of, the King in whose service I am, shall never know defeat. I am not just any warrior, I am His warrior.

I am sorry to say I know almost nothing of the song I mentioned, not even who wrote it. If anyone else has details, feel free to contact me or leave the information in the comment section below.

Backing Up

    I hate being wrong. I would love to live in a perfect little world where I never had to back up and admit my mistakes. For some reason, it's always easier to shift into "drive" than "reverse."
    Take, for example, a history class where two fifth grade girls were convinced the history book was talking about plants and animals that thrived in their state. I was very dubious. This was world history, after all, and it was talking about countries on the other side of the globe. Nonetheless, after school let out I performed a few Google searches and discovered much to my dismay that they were correct.  

    I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to just move on to the next day's lesson and conveniently sweep my newly gained knowledge under the carpet. The feeling that I needed to make it right with them and admit my mistake didn't leave. It was by God's grace alone that I found the humility to stand in front of my class and tell them I was wrong.

    Another experience comes to mind. It was a Wednesday morning, time for school devotions. As sometimes happens, the "Devotion Man" didn't show up. While we teachers tried to decide what to do, a thought stole into my heart: "You should just tell your conversion experience to the students." Oh, no, that wasn't going to happen! The Voice was persistent, but so was I. I managed to quell it, at least for a moment. 

    I don't remember what we ended up doing for devotions, but I do remember the conversation I had with my co-teachers afterwards. Two of them had felt the same gentle nudge, but none of us had been willing to follow the direction we were given. Later, at a school C.E., we all got up and volunteered our experiences, telling the students that we were sorry for not listening to God as we ought, and that we wanted to strive to live faithfully.

    Were either of these instances enjoyable? Decidedly not. Neither were the rest of the times I've had to back up and admit I was in the wrong, and there have been plenty. 

    There are a few things I've noticed throughout these times of humbling myself. One is that I believe a willingness to go back makes me stronger and more willing next time I'm asked to do something. Another is that if I never had to reverse, I'm quite sure the amount of pride I would possess would make me positively unbearable to be around. 

    The last thing I've realized is that backing up rarely is as terrible as I work it up to be in my mind. People are forgiving, especially when being told they were right. It's OK to admit I was too vehement. There's nothing wrong in owning up to making a mistake. 

    I've decided it's not fun or easy, but I'd rather wear out my reverse than get stuck in drive and risk running over other people and drowning out the quiet voice of the Spirit. Have I reached perfection backing up? No. I don't suppose it will ever be easy for me. Yet the peace of mind that comes from knowing I have been obedient is certainly worth the pain it causes the flesh. 

    If you find yourself needing to back up, just know you aren't alone. Many others have stood in the same shoes. Take courage. Backing up is a skill we all need to learn, and this time it doesn't take a good eye or a steady hand. This time it only takes humility and a sincere desire to please our Savior.