Thanksgiving Re-set

…for I am not always thankful even though I have so much to be thankful for.   How about you?  Does thankfulness just roll out of your pores like sweat at mile 20 of a marathon or do you struggle with it like when your mother made you eat beets? 

Honestly, as silly as it sounds, I sometimes struggle with it.  The big question is why?  The answer, of course, is quite complicated; but simply put, I have been fooled by the lure of the so-called American Dream—more stuff means a better status which means more joy.  Poppycock; what nonsense to think that inanimate stuff (which really means “junk”) will bring true and lasting joy. 

First John 1:3b-4 has this to say about joy: 

And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

True joy, which is a sense of unflappable inner happiness, comes from an honest and vital relationship with God by way of Jesus Christ.  No Christ, no joy. Expressing this relationship to others cements the joy deep in our soul. 

So as Thanksgiving 2011 is now in our rearview mirror, we can still be thankful because of Jesus Christ.  I know a bold statement like this turns a lot of people off, that’s why the message of Christ is so watered down.  But stop and think about it, why are so many people turned off by the things of Christ? People are often turned off to Christ, and thus miss the joy in Christ, because so many Christ-followers do a less than inspiring job of exhibiting Christ.  So much of “Christian engagement” nowadays is really nothing more than stooping to joyless and combative blame-shifting. 

But as we recall the words of Jesus, we begin to realize His message was quite different:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38).

Pondering these words deeply, I find conviction creeping up over my heart.  I begin realizing that my “love meter” for both God and man registers too often on the “low” side. No wonder I struggle with thanksgiving, I’ve blocked God’s joy in my soul by allowing my ‘love tank’ to run too close to empty.

So where does Thanksgiving really begin?  It begins with love.  And where does love begin?  Love begins with God:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, emphasis mine).

Room With A View

So my Mom is in the hospital (this picture is the view from her room).  At some point last Tuesday, probably in the morning, my 79-year-old Mother fell down; the problem is, no one knew until Wednesday night. Thankfully, a curious housekeeper in her retirement apartment building noticed she hadn’t picked up her morning paper for two days, she told her boss and her boss checked in on her.  Mom, ever the proud Brit, shooed away help, but the boss-lady called my Sister who called me (I live about three blocks away) and I went to see her. 

It was an indelible and startling experience opening my Mom’s door to see her lying on the floor, ashen gray and helpless. I did what I could, even prayed over her and after some resistance, she agreed to let me call 9-1-1; in a matter of minutes four paramedics were there. Soon she was in the ER and with my Sister and I by her side (our Dad has long since been dead).  After many tests they discovered that she had shattered her left humorous in seven or eight pieces; I swear it looked like it could have been an Evel Knievel x-ray! She was also severely dehydrated and extremely confused as well as other things.

This whole experience is yet another reminder how precious life is and how precious our loved ones are.  Is there someone you haven’t said, “I love you” to in a while?  Is there a widow or widower sitting alone with nothing but a microwave meal and Andy Griffith reruns?  Is there reconciliation that needs to happen?  If so, then I ask is mowing the lawn or doing the dishes so all-important that you just can’t spare even a few moments to go and visit these loved ones?  I know the myriad of life’s details can be so consuming and our to-do lists so daunting, but most of those things will be there tomorrow or even next week, but your loved one may not be. 

Think about it, stuff vs. relationship.  Stuff may not talk back or ask for help, but it will demand your time and your energy; sometimes so much so that we don’t have the time or energy to do what really matters—be with those we love.

Therefore consider it okay to set aside the dishes or let the lawn go another day or two and use that time to make that phone call, send that card or email, or even go visit in-person, because tomorrow is not guaranteed, but dirty dishes and growing grass are.        

Personal Prayer

“Lord, may my joy be full,

may my peace be deep,

may my love be real,

and may I walk in the personal power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.”

I pray this every day, regardless of my circumstances.  My current trials seem trivial when compared to the many other tragedies in the world today; but still, my family and I are enduring a couple of challenging trials.  But even so, I still pray the above prayer. And there are pertinent Scriptural references for each item:

·         Joy:  1 John 1:4 and Galatians 5:22.

·         Peace:  Philippians 4:7 and Galatians 5:22

·         Love:  1 John 4:7 & 11 and Galatians 5:22

·         Indwelling Holy Spirit:  Ephesians 6:10.

Granted, there are several other pertinent references, but I want to give a brief list for now.

I think some may consider praying the same prayer daily, or even at various times throughout the day, to be nothing but rote recitation or vain babbling. That may be so for some folks but not for me because this particular prayer reminds me that God is always with me regardless of how I feel or what my circumstances are.  What’s more, it also reminds me that only by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit will I actually realize and then exude genuine joy, peace, and love. Without the Holy Spirit working in my life, these items will be merely surface-level veneers to be ripped away when the storms of trials assail my soul.

But when I really seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He is always there to comfort me. Another good point to remember is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is available to all who believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead (see Romans 10:9 for more on how to be saved).

What prayers are meaningful to you?  Feel free to post them via the comments portion of this post, perhaps your prayer will be the one that touches someone else’s soul!

True Love, Haiku and a Coach

An enduring love
        besting tests of tempest time;
                                       blooms anew daily.

This is a poem dedicated to my dear wife who not only loves me but also puts up with me.  I like writing and reading haiku because if done right, the verses are not only short (typically 5-7-5), but they make a point without a bunch of belaboring reading. Haiku is also fun because you want it to end with a little bit of a twist or with something to trigger a little more thinking.  This haiku is attempting to play two thoughts against each other, "enduring love" and "anew daily."  In other words, I'm trying to say that genuine love endures through the long haul because it is intentionally renewed as brand new every day. 

In between the "enduring" and "anew daily" is the line about "tempest" or storms.  Any relationship, especially marriage, will be hit with storms of many types and varieties, and only the strength of will between the two lovers will determine if they will make it through the storms together or not.  Each person in the relationship must be determined that nothing will break their love for their mate, and if each person has the same commitment to each other and to their marriage, then the storms will come and go but the marriage will endure. 

As a special note for husbands, since we men like to use tools, here's a tool to really help us in our marriages: 

"And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church, He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word" (Ephesians 5:25-26, NLT). 

So how did Christ love the church?  Read the Gospels and find out.  Here's a suggestion though, especially if you're familiar with sports, look at Jesus as a coach to husbands and you'll begin viewing the Gospels in a whole different light!  Jesus was definitely a man's man and the epitome of endurance, faithfulness, and love. 

I realize all of this commentary is a bit much to draw out of one haiku, but inside the poet is a deeper motive, and that is to help marriages endure while also drawing people to Christ.  So hopefully these many words will draw your gaze upward and your heart toward the one you love.