Giving Thanks

Gratitude has the power to transform our attitude and outlook on life. Gratitude is like a person traveling to their destination guided by GPS. To the contrary, the ungrateful struggles to reach his destination, making wrong turns, backtracking, and turning on one-way streets the wrong way. Most of all, he does not enjoy the journey, yelling at those in his way and blaming everyone but himself for his frustrating trip. Gratitude is like a power transformer, converting the powerful electrical current into usable electricity your house needs. Gratitude takes everything that comes at us and makes sense of it.

Have you noticed how being upset about something can change your whole day, while being thankful can make it better? For example, you find yourself anxious about a problem at work, waiting for it to get your attention. The more you think about it, the more nervous and irritated you become. Conversely, suppose you begin your day thinking about how fortunate you are to have your job. It’s a stable job that provides you with a good income despite the challenges that come along. Just thinking about what you have, rather than what you do not have, changes your mood. You are a very different person when you arrive at your workplace. Gratitude actually changes the way we think, act, and even look. It can even put a smile on your face. Gratitude gives a person a sense of purpose and adds meaning to their life.

This is a favorite holiday for many of us because it is a time to get together with family and relax. Even more, it is a time to reflect on the things we have to be thankful for. Life has a way of keeping us occupied, leaving us with very little time to reflect on our many blessings. Modern-day marketing focuses on what we do not have, thus making us incomplete until we buy what they promise will complete us. It is a strategy that has made billions for businesses but has left the consumer feeling very empty. The truth is that our contentment is not found in this world. It is found in our Creator. The more we know him, love him, and serve him, the more content we find ourselves.

 

When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

When life doesn’t make sense, we often make foolish and rash decisions. It is in this moment that we begin to doubt what we have always believed. We doubt our worth, our beliefs, our faith in God, and, most detrimental to our well-being, we doubt God’s love for us. We doubt that God is there working in ways that we cannot see. We always believed, but now we doubt. Why not doubt? Things are not adding up. Things are not working out. We are facing dead ends, and we have difficulty finding our way.

However, it is precisely in these moments that we need to trust God--in the very moments when he seems faraway. When he appears to be ignoring our prayers--in these times, we walk by faith and not by sight.

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk also had questions: Does He really love us? Does he care what happens to us? Is he there? Does He answer prayer, especially our prayers? How can He be holy and tolerate such sin in the world, and especially in his own people? If He is a God of justice, why doesn’t He punish sinners? (Habakkuk 1:1-3).

Habakkuk questioned God’s methods. They certainly made no sense to him. They seemed to conflict with what he knew about God. He asked God, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13-14). Habakkuk had the same problem we do. He did not understand God, nor did he comprehend what he was doing. It certainly wasn’t the way he would have done things.

Habakkuk, though he did not understand God’s ways, decided to wait for an answer from God. God did answer, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay (Habakkuk 2:2-3). This was not what Habakkuk was expecting, but it was an answer. In fact, it was what we are all supposed to do when we are confused or disappointed. We are to wait for God—He will speak. This is faith, and this is what faith does—it waits for God.

Habakkuk tells us the secret of living for God, “but the righteous will live by his faith—“. This phrase inspired the Apostle Paul, who referred to it in his letter to the Romans.  It is the way we live for God day by day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Absurdity of Doing The Same Thing…

The absurdity of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is beyond comprehension. This happens in people’s lives, organizations, and governments. 

Having the ability to see what is going on before it actually happens is a rare gift; it is called insight. Winston Churchill had the insight to see that Hitler was a dictator intent on conquering the world. At the same time, Hitler appeared to people like Charles Lindbergh and Lady Astor as a gifted world leader. Lady Astor hated Churchill for his criticisms of Hitler, so once she said to him, “If you were my husband, I would put arsenic in your tea.” Churchill responded, “If I were your husband, I would drink it.” There were plenty in the world media who praised Stalin for his transformation of the Soviet Union while ignoring the atrocities that were so common. They said that Stalin was a man of the people who really cared about lasting and meaningful change.

George Orwell saw through the lies and deception of the purported utopia of Communism by Comrade Stalin before most of the world did. Orwell wrote an allegory of what Stalin’s Communism really was in the short book, Animal Farm. It was published in 1945, though it could have been published earlier; publishers were afraid to do so.

The book describes a rebellion led by a pig named Napoleon, who took over the farm owned by Mr. Jones. Napoleon made many wonderful promises to the animals—all animals would be equal; all animals would have an equal share. Life would be better on Animal Farm now that Napoleon was in charge. But, life didn’t turn out to be too good for the animals—except for Napoleon, of course, and the rest of the pigs and his dogs who served as his guards. Napoleon took care of himself and frequently changed the rules to benefit himself and his fellow pigs. I highly recommend the book because it is relevant to what we see happening around us today, with the fascination with Socialism and Communism.

Socialism and Communism order everyone to be, act, and think alike. They do not tolerate any diverse thought. Totalitarians always have a strawman—someone who is responsible for the chaos. For Hitler, it was the Jews; for Stalin, it was the wealthy, educated classes. Their arrows are pointed at someone. Anyone who does not endorse and affirm everything they espouse is targeted and harassed, and even harmed. Search the world over, and you will not find a country with a better justice system or less prejudice than the United States. Yet, there are people intent on overthrowing our system of government. This revolution is about Napoleon and his fellow henchmen taking over the farm. Napoleon will constantly change the rules and lie to his followers. Still, it’s the animals that really get hurt —and it’s we, the ordinary people, who are losing our freedoms.

On Wings of Eagles

Eleanor came home one evening to find her children huddled together. She wondered what they were doing with such interest. When she finally got a glimpse of what was going on, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Right in the middle of the circle were several baby skunks. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Children, run!” Each kid grabbed a skunk and ran!

The people of Israel were like this when God rescued them from slavery. Each one grabbed something from Egypt and ran in a different direction. They grabbed hold of idolatry and cultural ways that were not like God’s ways, but like Egypt. God had a lot of work to make an obedient people out of this group. They were often disobedient, faithless, and obstinate. Nonetheless, he had chosen them, and their life as a free nation had begun.

Once when I was working at my computer, one of my little granddaughters was sitting in my lap. She was digging in my shirt pocket. As I looked out of the corner of my eye, I watched the stuff all being extracted piece by piece from my pocket. She examined each piece very meticulously: my glasses, my pens, my papers, and I thought that was all I had, but she kept putting her little hand deep into my pocket. I didn’t pay much attention because I thought she had pretty well cleaned me out. After a few minutes, I noticed she was relatively quiet and wasn’t fidgeting. I looked down at her, and she had found a toothpick and had it in the corner of her mouth exactly the way I do. She was imitating me. The one thing we want to do is learn to imitate Christ and not this world.

As parents and grandparents, we should remember that our kids and grandkids are imitating us. We may not realize it, but they are absorbing everything that they see and hear. We want to learn to imitate him and not the people around us. We also want to live in such a way that those who are watching us will be imitating Christ when they imitate us. God was proposing to his people that they learn to imitate him, not the people around them.

Exodus 19:3-6 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.  Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

They had seen God, what did—10 incredible plagues that broke the chains of slavery. They saw it and experienced it. They exited Egypt in mass by the hand of God. They saw God deliver them from Pharaoh’s hand when they were between his army and the Red Sea. How many times had God swooped down and carried his people on eagles’ wings? They had arrived at the mountain where God promised they would come. God had made good his promise, and now they would worship him on his holy mountain.

This is a picture of a mother eagle caring for her young. Eaglets are especially helpless, remaining in the nest for as much as 3 months until they are big enough to fly. The eagle builds an enormous nest, 6 feet in diameter and 5 feet in depth, for its eaglets. They are delighted to play and wait for their food to be delivered to their mouths. They live this comfortable life unaware of the day they will have to fly. Getting the eaglets out of the nest is a gradual process. The birds are taught to flap their wings to build coordination. They are enticed to venture out near the nest and flap their wings to build muscle. Food is often reduced, but ultimately, the eaglets have to take the leap. “When it is time for the young birds to leave the nest and learn to fly, the eagle stirs up the nest, but does not abandon her young. If they experience difficulties, the mother swoops down below them. She lifts them on its wings, bringing them back to safety.” They are now expected to leave the nest and learn to fly. They have become quite comfortable and don’t want to leave the nest. Now staring down two thousand feet through the holes, they decide that Mom is serious about this thing called flying. She watches each one. They are hundreds of feet in the air, learning to use their wings for the first time is a frightening experience, but when they fail to fly. She spreads her wings and swoops under them and carries them back again to try again.

Such an illustration is what Moses said God did with Israel, time and time again, in the wilderness. No incident is as graphic as this —the crossing of the Red Sea and his provision and safety in the desert. They had been delivered from slavery, but they were vulnerable to starvation and to attack by their enemies. So God lifted them up on his mighty wings, providing them with food, water, and victory in battle. He does the same for us today!