Giving God Thanks
If you are like me, what you don’t need is another reminder of the pandemic that is plaguing our nation and world. But one of the upsides to what we are experiencing is how this crisis is pushing us to focus on what is most important: For example, the health and wellbeing of our loved ones, and ourselves.
As Janna Morgan, chair of our Children’s Ministry Council recently put it,
“I’m choosing to look for goodness in it. I’ll never have this much time with my little family again. We are safe. We are together…I hate to read of illness and death, but I know good will come from this. One day.”
The upside to our present reality is that it is slowly chipping away at the pretense of success and wealth as the end-all while making us deeply appreciative of the simple things like a haircut, a home-cooked meal, family time, the kindness of a simple gesture like a phone call or text, and so forth. For some of us, prayer has taken on a more important role in our lives as we pray for the health and safety of medical providers, the judgment of our government, the cautiousness of our children and the elderly, and even the actions of strangers. Prayer has invited many of us to consider our responsibility in making the world a better place in whatever way we can. Instead of focusing on fear or worry, we are invited to look at the world with hope, trust in our God-given ability to overcome evil with good, and the belief that things will get better because God is at work in the world.
Ultimately, I believe the upside to this crisis is the invitation to a life of gratitude, and gratitude is a contagion in the best sense of the word. I want to invite you to take some time this week to say thank-you to someone (whether by phone, text, email or card). Most of us could create a long list of people who deserve our thanks and appreciation. Consider practicing the spiritual practice of gratitude through the duration of this pandemic. Add gratitude to your care toolkit. You might be surprised by how this spiritual practice can change the way you view things. I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Be well, be safe,
Pastor Don