Thankfulness

I Thesselonians 5:18 

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

You know, I absolutely knew that this would be the first verse that came up when I put a search in for thanks/thankful.  It was already in my head.  Isn't it hard sometimes to be thankful in ALL circumstances....really, God?  How can I be thankful in "this" you can fill in the blank.  Sometimes I just honestly don't want to be thankful; I want to have a pity party, quit and feel sorry for myself because things aren't going the way I want or someone isn't acting the way I want or something is happening in my life that I don't want.  Notice something about each of those statements?  They all include one ugly letter "I".  When I am dissatisfied or not thankful many times it is because I'm focusing on "I" and not "HIM".

Psalm 136:1 "give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever"

So even in the midst of our emotional ups and downs, His steadfast love endures forever....I love that word steadfast when we think of God.  What a blessing to know that when we struggle with our emotions and feelings lead us to a place we don't really want to be - HE is the rock beneath us, our foundation to steady us and guide us back to Him; to His path, to His Word and His Way!!  You see these words over and over is scripture - HIS steadfast love endures forever.  His Truths are rock solid, immovable, unyielding to the world around us, so take a minute - have a cry, take a few deep breaths but always, always always come back to His word for guidance.  I'm not a bible scholar but I just don't think there is a place in His Word that says we feel sorry for ourselves, hide from the world, talk about "it" or think about "it" (whatever "it" is) over and over.  What works for me is seeking His Word first and allowing those truths to penetrate through my selfishness to allow me then seek His face in prayer and thanksgiving for ALL He has done.  Seeking His Word first, I believe allows us to pray in truth and not in our will or our desires clouded by our perceptions of what is going on in the world around us.  HE must be the steadfast anchor in our lives and that happens through allowing the Word to speak clearly to us!!

Philippians 4:6  "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

Praying with thanksgiving allows us to be open to whatever God has for us.  As we pray about everything with thankfulness - the outcome is less important than the prayers themselves.  Being thankful for the smallest and the biggest things helps us to let go of the control we want to have over so much of our lives.  What freedom there is in knowing we can be thankful about everything He has done and everything He will do.....sort of takes the load of our shoulders, right? If you are engaged in a difficult relationship - can you be thankful for the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to that person.  If something didn't go the way you wanted - can you be thankful that you may have been protected or shielded from something God knew could happen?  If you just got a horrible diagnosis or lost someone you love - can you be thankful for the time together, thankful for the memories, thankful that you have God to lean on and thankful for the testimony you have to share with someone else who will desperately need you?  I'm not saying it's easy and I don't want to sound like a pollyanna - it's gut wrenching sometimes, heart breaking to walk that uneven road filled with potholes and mountains to climb.  His word says not to be anxious about anything and in everything by prayer, supplication and with thanksgiving - that doesn't leave anything out, does it??  Not a thing......so go, walk in His peace.  Not silly happy everything is wonderful peace but the peace of knowing He is steadfast and we can be thankful in Him for EVERYTHING!!

THRIVE

For those of you who follow me - I going to do a long(ish) play on the word THRIVE.  I've been thinking about the song Thrive by Casting Crowns for days and want so much to encourage us to thrive in everything we do.  One line of the of the song just keeps rolling around in my head over and over..

We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives
Its time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

I've talked to two people in the past two days that when we talked about their "dream" for their lives…what they really had a driving passion and desire to do…. were unsure about what that looked like in their lives.  What I'm realizing is that so many people in our culture are just trying to make it to the next day, the weekend or next month that they don't have a vision of what they really want their life to look like.  We are running on that hamster wheel trying to stay just ahead of drowning in the urgent or mundane of life.  Take your pick - they are equally devastating to our souls.

We were made for more that just surviving - like the song says.   God created us as magnificent and unique masterpieces of HIS design to do the work (live the life) that HE has set before us; actually planned for us before we were even here!!

"for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  Ephesians 2:10

If we are indeed His workmanship, how can we think of ourselves as anything less that amazing and magnificent workmanship.  God is the master creator, architect and builder of the universe and we are part of that Master Design!!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they might have life and have it abundantly"  John 10:10

Jesus Christ came that we might have life AND have it abundantly.  Big, overflowing, exciting, peaceful, serving life that is so far beyond "us" that we know it can only come from God!!!!  What is your burning passion, what would you do if you could do ANYTHING?  I challenge you to take some time to be quiet and think about that question - think about the "anything" that God planted in your heart from the very beginning.  Who did God create you to be?  What is your purpose?  What is your passion. If we are going to T.H.R.I.V.E. - we need to figure that out first, then the question is…."what will you do with that purpose, how will you weave that into your life everyday?"

More to come on how to live a life that thrives……check out the song below!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M

the past, forgiveness and a roller bag

"we all wish that we could change our past"

I heard this line of a song recently and it got me to thinking…..I had my own thoughts but of course headed to the Bible for the real truth.  I'm always thrilled to see what God has to say about what I think.  Sometimes I'm spot on and others I get a little "talking to".

My first thoughts on this subject were that perhaps we should not want to change our past but embrace the learning experiences that we've had.  Some very painful and difficult and others just circumstances we'd like to forget.  Maybe because we did something or said something we wish desperately that we could take back.  I've always been a fairly analytical person who looks at each life experience through what I hope are the glasses of personal responsibility and learning.  There are very few things that I do not eventually break down and put back together to see what I might have done differently and what I can learn or change going forward.  Often times, it takes a bit of work to get there but in the end I want to come to a conclusion and move forward in a way that glorifies the Lord and is beneficial for me and those around me.  Because of that, I personally don't carry around a big weight of the "past".

I do recognize, however that I have been given a gift from the Lord to maybe not take things quite as personally as others.  So, while my initial thoughts on this one line in a song swirled around in my own head based on my own personal tendencies, The Lord quickly brought me to a place of empathy for those who still carry those experiences and feelings in a very heavy bag often weighing them down and exhausting their emotions and energy.  It makes me think of a trip taken with a friend.  We were flying and I do NOT like to carry anything heavy through the airport.  I prefer a small rolling bag that I can simply pull behind me.  It takes less energy, which for me makes the journey more enjoyable.  I get tired and grumpy if I'm lugging some big heavy thing that pulls on my shoulder….it's harder to have a lift in my step or smile at those around me.  She on the other hand, had a bag full and heavy that had to be carried on her shoulder.  Here is the beautiful thing that happened and a great word picture for being a friend and helping someone with their burden.  We stopped and I had her put that heavy bag on top of my rolling case.  Guess what happened??  It was only slightly harder to pull that rolling suitcase and we shared the job as we traveled to our gate.  Lesson here?  If your load is lighter and you have the capacity - take the weight of someone else's burden and walk beside them.  If they are carrying that big heavy weight from their past - offer to help walk them through it as someone who doesn't have the emotional connection.  Help them to break apart the emotions and see what can be learned so that moving forward that experience can be something that will strengthen them.  The other thing this can do is to bring that experience in to the light so that it can be seen clearly for what it is.  Sometimes, I will admit there is a tragedy I cannot begin in any way to understand but many times these heavy burdens can be viewed in a  different light (the Light of the Word) and turned into something that can be helpful and even positive in a persons life.

It is amazingly hard sometimes to work through this stuff and that is honestly another post all together but let me say this - we have to be willing to be vulnerable and tell others what we need and how we feel.  There is nothing that can be accomplished by pretending everything is OK while walking though life with that overstuffed bag on your shoulders.  This process is often painful and scary but so worth it in the end.

Jesus is so gentle to the hurting and so forgiving of our sins (even the ones we don't think we have).  Luke 7: 36-50 tells us about woman of the city, who was a sinner came to Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment.  she wet his feet with her tears, washed them with her hair and put the ointment on his feet.  Those around him were outraged - surely if he were truly a prophet, he would know what kind of woman this was???  He proceeded to tell a parable of a moneylender and two debtors…..moral of the story?  The greater the sin or the weight of your bag - the more overwhelmed you will be by the freedom we have in Christ.  Verse 47 and 48 say "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much.  Be he who is forgiven little, loves little.  And he said to her "Yours sins are forgiven.  Finally v 50 "and he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Your faith has saved you, now go in peace - words not just for this woman in the Bible but for us.  It is time to recognize that the Lord has forgiven your sins, my sins, our sins by sending Jesus to that cross.  We have no business carrying around the heavy bags that HE came to take.  Can you imagine Jesus standing in front of you with his hands outstretched to take that bag and you holding on to it?  What a slap in the face, right?  I cannot imagine anyone would just say "no, I'm more qualified to hang on to this bag of junk….I appreciate your offer but I've got this".   No way, not gonna happen!!!  But here is the crazy thing - we do it all the time.

If you are a born again follower of Christ - these truths are yours to stand on today as you begin the process of letting go, hopefully by analyzing and unpacking those bags in the Light of His Word.  Trust me on this - don't do it any other way.  Everything has to be viewed through the lens of scripture and personal responsibility.  I believe Scripture will always point us to our responsibility (we can't change others) by showing us our lives in relation to The Cross.  It would be easy to say - just put the bag at the foot of the cross, but here's the deal.  You will go back and get it if you don't unpack it and deal with it.

If you are unsure of your relationship with Christ or know you don't have one - don't you want to live in this freedom?  Don't you long for that one thing that will fill the void you feel in your heart?  Aren't you tired of searching for answers in the world and the "freedom" we are told it offers?   It doesn't - this worlds freedom will do nothing but add to the chains that already enslave you.  I've never done this in a blog post but if by some chance you are reading this and want to know more about that freedom - I invite you to let me know.  I would love to share more.

Take the time to view your past for what it is - a tapestry of experiences that has made you the person you are today.  Don't compare your journey to anyone else.  Rest in the freedom that Jesus Christ offers.  Rejoice in the unique person that God created you to be and go in peace!!

Psalm 32:1  Blessed is the one who's transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Colossians 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of our flesh, God made alive together with hi, having forgiven us all our trespasses