The Art of Thanksgiving

Sometimes it's hard to hear the voice of God especially when we want something really bad. It might not be a material item such as a corvette, which we are apt to use as an example of what NOT to expect God to mean when He says, "Ask and it will be given to you..." We may have a hard time separating what we want to hear from what God is actually telling us. There are times when we mishear God's voice. Then there are those times that God has inspired us or excited us about something that is truly from Him. He has put the fire within us for the very thing that He would like us to do. Finally, there are other times God is simply saying, "Wait". Those are the hardest.

Oftentimes, I find that up until a certain point I am a good waiter. I can hum along and control my inner desire that wants to know something or get something right at this very moment. But usually what happens is that after a certain period of waiting, I begin to fidget, tap my fingers, shuffle my feet, while exhaling loudly, and then it happens. Watch out!

Depression, not anger, is my usual response to such a time. I might be fooling myself that I am patiently waiting for God to answer, but I have really turned that anger inward and have allowed myself to sulk in a sea of hopelessness. (Sounds dramatic, right?)

Given that we have just finished celebrating Thanksgiving, I know that a thankful heart does not sulk and demand to have its own way. How often do we actually try to consciously be thankful? Be watchful and thankful, it says in the bible (my own paraphrase). Being in the dumps of sulking or self pity or impatience can blind us to the very things right in front of us. There is always something to be grateful for, even the smallest things.

Today I am thankful that God alerted me to the sound of the school bus passing in front of our house and that Llewelyn told him she had seen me so that I could run down the block and pick up my kids...just barely. I am thankful for the cups of warm coffee that warmed me during the day. I am thankful that I got to work from home, and that I actually got paid for something today. I am thankful for moments of quiet and stillness alone in the morning. I am thankful for snuggles with my daughters, relaxing with my husband on the couch in a home with sleeping children. I am thankful that God's timing is perfect....absolutely perfect, and I am thankful for the here and now.

Why your glass doesn't need to be half empty or half full

We all know the basic premise that there are those in life who see their glass as half empty while others see their glass as half full. Back in 1999 I spent a year interning with inner city kids in Camden, New Jersey with an organization named UrbanPromise. Besides working at the East Side After School Program every afternoon during the week, we took a number of classes on a variety of topics related to ministry. One of the exercises we did radically changed my outlook about how each of us sees and perceives the world.

During this particular class we each took a Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Once our tests were scored we were split up into groups based on our personality profiles: Intuitive Feelers, Intuitive Thinkers, Sensing Feelers, and Sensing Thinkers. Our mission: spend 20 minutes in our groups writing about the object set in front of us: an 8 ounce bottle of water with about 4 ounces of water inside. Being a member of the Intuitive Feelers we discussed: the cleansing of our sins by the water of life, the new life imparted to us through baptism, and our thoughts about how Peter walked on water towards Jesus.

When it was time to regroup as a class, our group shared first. Next came the Sensing Thinkers. Here is a synopsis of what their spokesperson shared, "It's a bottle of water. It has ridges on the bottle about half an inch apart starting about two inches from the bottom. About three inches from the top there is a rounded slope that leads to a cylindrical opening about half an inch tall, which also has ridges on it. There is a lid on top of the bottle. The water fills 50 percent of the bottle. That's it. It's a bottle of water".

Are you a half full Fiona or a half empty Emilio? The world has a million ways of trying to shift one's perspective on the glass of water. Some would say, "Focus on the water that's there", or "Don't focus on the water that's not there", or "The water doesn't really matter".

In John 15 verses 9-11 it says, " As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Did you catch that last part? Our joy may be complete? Yes, that's exactly what it says. In other words, in Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit our cup never has to be half full or half empty. 
 
For you Sensing Thinkers, Sensing Feelers, or Intuitive Thinkers out there please bear with me on this. I like to think of the Holy Spirit as the Niagara Falls of joy. God, himself, is the true water of life. Our reservoir of joy is like that half empty bottle of water. Yes, in our own strength, our bottle is not filled no matter how you look at it, how you spin your circumstances, or think positive thoughts. It will never be truly full without Jesus.

So, why not ask him to make your joy complete? It's as easy as saying, "God, I am empty. Fill my cup."