"As [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!' When he saw them, he said, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan." (Luke 17:12-16)
This morning I'm going to share a few thoughts from the wonderful chapel service I got to attend earlier today. The Bible passage that was read contained the verses above, and the pastor shared some thoughts on the Thanksgiving holiday and the prayer that often goes along with it. We often find ourselves more than able to cry to God for help. Just last night I found myself pleading for answers and aid. In the midst of despair, when there's nowhere else to turn, it just seems more natural to turn towards God. However, it's a bit harder to remember the "second prayer". It doesn't feel as natural to stop in the middle of a happy moment and think about how God is answering a past cry for help. Often (at least in my case) we would rather just forget that we even had to cry for help and concentrate on "living in the moment". It's very good sometimes to stop and think about your blessings, reflecting on hardship and giving thanks for deliverance. I'd like to take this free moment to do that. Here's what I'm especially thankful for right now:
Sunshine. This simple blessing has lifted my spirits immensely today.
Health for me and my family in light of my accident and some of the misfortunes we've had in past holidays.
A new car that was provided after my old one was totaled.
Friends that have made this school year so enjoyable.
Concordia. The professors are so wonderfully kind, caring, and intelligent. The chapel services have comforted me on countless occasions. The Christian environment helps me feel like I belong.
A boyfriend who is loving and patient through our struggles. Phone and my internet. Even though they don't always work perfectly, they keep me in contact with the people I love.
There are tons of other things I could give thanks for, but I'll keep the list short (partly because I need to go pack, because I get to go home today). Sometimes it feels cheesy or strange to sit and give thanks for blessings, but it's such a wonderful exercise to drive off despair. I pray that your Thanksgiving is filled with obvious blessings, and that you remember to give thanks every day.
As an early teen, my father showed me the Syfy mini-series Dune and its sequel Children of Dune. For some reason, I much preferred the sequel, and still watch all 6 hours of it at least twice a year. The point of my telling you this is that the movie contains (as part of the science fiction mysticism in the plot) a phrase referred to as the "litany against fear". It goes something like this: "I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear. I will let it pass through me." Not too bad for a mantra. Then again it relies pretty heavily on inner strength, which I know is sometimes hard to come by. I have a better suggestion. 2 Timothy 1:7 reads: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." That's much better. When we rely on our own strength, fear is definitely a "mind killer". When facing a decision or a task, it's so easy to look at it and feel overwhelmed by fear. So many things could go wrong! It seems like every option is a bad option, causing pain or disappointment. But when we let God work in us and strengthen our spirits, things become a little bit clearer. That doesn't mean that things become easy. It's still difficult to determine what God's will is and make ourselves entrust the outcome to Him. But we have the comfort of knowing that if we really are following God's will we can do so without fear. He knows the outcome, and it fits into his plan perfectly, for our ultimate benefit. I'm not saying that Christians are completely fearless. We live in a sinful world, and sometimes there are reasons to be afraid. We might be following God's will, but that doesn't mean everyone else will do the same. Things go awry, and we feel pain and loss. Sometimes we lose sight of the plan God has for our lives. It feels like we're surrounded by fear and pain. It's a prison that's hard to escape. Yet we can still take comfort in knowing that we should place each situation into God's hands. He is the only one capable of controlling all of our fear and letting us out of the prison we imagine for ourselves. He gives us comfort and assurance that he is always working for our good, no matter how hopeless it seems and no matter how many things could go wrong. All we have to do is ask.
What are you waiting for? I think everyone sometimes buys into the hope of an easy fix. We think that if this would happen or that would change, everything would get better. It sounds so good. On some occasions our "easy fix" is just wishful thinking, and wouldn't honestly do us any good. Though often it actually is the key to making life more manageable.It's such a wonderful feeling when someone says the phrase "That's not crazy, that's common sense." Unfortunately, we can't usually make those changes happen. Lately I've learned a lot about the human survival instinct. If something is too stressful and there's something we can do to make it better, we usually take action. The problem comes in when our stress is outside ourselves. Fortunately we have a God who not only handles our lives, but also the lives of everyone around us. Does it sometimes seem like he's ignoring us? Certainly. Just last week in a moment of despair I mused, "What's the deal? Was there just not enough love left for me this week?" The key word there is despair. I felt hopeless. One of my favorite movies, Anne of Green Gables, has a wonderful piece of wisdom regarding that state of being. When Anne tells Marilla that she is "in the pits of despair", Marilla responds, "To despair is to turn your back on God." It's pretty hard for God to show us love when our back is turned (although he often finds a way to do it anyway). The book of Lamentations (the name says it all) has some wonderful words of comfort: "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:19-24
Even when everything seems hopeless, God never fails us. It's not always easy to see (or follow through with), but God always loves us and is always finding ways to care for us.
I wanted to share one more thing, just because this song struck me as fitting today.
