Day 66 A time for Thanksgiving

Day 66 - A Time for Thanksgiving

"Joy and gladness will be found in it. Thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3

Up early, before 5 am. First thoughts of the day are thankful. Four whole days of not working stretch before me and I am filled with the delight of a child who knows Christmas is just a few days away. Made coffee, and have my Bible and devotional books near. I will spend some time reflecting and then get back to you.

My devotionals focused on being Godly in the little things of life. The daily, the ordinary. The tendency of each of us is to want the noble, the extraordinary, the big things of life to play out our Godliness. When we do this, we ignore the fact that Jesus, ate, walked, talked, slept in the ordinary, everyday things of life. People are "doers", stars in their own plays so to speak. God is looking for people who are willing to be "extras" on the stage of life to be His hands of care, love and concern to a hurting and dying world.

Wow, if you've been following my blog you realize that I have been struggling with this servant role in my own life. The yearning for a 'greater calling' has been knocking on the door of my own life. Accepting that God has engineered my destiny to be exactly where I'm supposed to be would mean that the unpleasant, the tedious, the hurtful things are part of the plan for my life. Hmmm.....

Being part of a culture where finding yourself, becoming your best, finding your purpose, were part and parcel of my education, it's a difficult jump to let go of the constant seeking to become more. The spirit of the time has been to be goal oriented, to achieve more and this philosophy has invaded the church. We count numbers, conversions, percentages and rank success of outreaches by those very things. We are immersed in the mind-set of how many, how much, how often..... etc.

Have I become a Martha, who unlike Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus listening, is busy about temporal things, hurrying and scurrying around losing sight of the fact that relationship with God and man supersedes some practical matters? It is a dichotomy of sorts. Be grounded in the everyday, but be aware that the spiritual is of utmost importance.

This Thanksgiving for me is a mixture of both. I'm thankful for my returning health, having food, clothes, heat, water, lights, car, job, family, church, friends and so much more. This morning I feel rich in blessings. I know I have cleaning and cooking ahead of me, and the mundane yet necessary of sorting bills, chores and obligations. But, personally, God has been very kind to me this last year. He has brought several friends who have been a blessing to me. I have had hundreds of hours of fantastic outdoor moments where the incredible Northwest has washed my soul in beauty and wonder. I have enjoyed wonderful fruit and food, and gained strength and endurance through walking, hiking, biking in the mountains, hills, and beaches. I have had memories that will last throughout my life, I have been blessed.

Evaluating whether or not, I've been a blessing, well that's a different thing. Only God knows, but this one thing I know, putting last year behind me I can try to become more of a blessing to others in the practical and spiritual. To not seek so much to become, as to be. In some ways, the existential now should permeate my Christian convictions to the extent that I constantly realize, who I am in the moment is the only person anyone will ever see. Not my plans, not my goals, not my visions for future service, only now; in the humble surroundings of Turkey and dressing, potatoes and gravy and the everydayness of life.

Today, may your life and heart be filled with a spirit of Thanksgiving. To count your blessings to the degree that sorrow and sadness flee away.