Today’s scripture: Colossians 1:3-4 and 11-12 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Terri Brown):
In this season of Thanksgiving and always, we are reminded in so many ways of all that we can be thankful for. Many of us have what others may consider small and invaluable “collections” that mean so much to us, in ways that others cannot imagine. What is of importance to one person may be insignificant to another, but there is a method to our madness of what we show appreciation for, and how and why we do.
In Colossians 1, Paul talks about giving prayers of Thanksgiving to God and for believers:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love7 you have for all the saints.
Later in the letter, he refers to characteristics that help these new Christians endure and ones we still can relate to in the 21st century.
11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to God, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
So when someone states that he or she is thankful for a car that runs and is paid for while others laugh because the muffler grumbles or a window will not “roll” down, we have a better understanding of thanksgiving. The owner is grateful because he or she appreciates the importance of having transportation over wealth and expensive “toys.” This individual is thankful for what has been given to him or her and is not concerned about how others worry or wonder why. This person feels blessed and knows that God watches over us — and that, with patience, the rewards may even be more cherished.
I find myself, at times, wishing for some prize of money or admiration. But when I truly contemplate my cache and consider what I already have that God has given me, I reminiscence over years as a teacher, the years of being a mother of young children and now admired as a grandmother known endearingly as “Big Mama.” I thank God for every opportunity I have had to spend with these treasures, the young people who have been entrusted to my care and the ability given to me to practice patience and be loving and edifying. I am thankful for the rough times, which help me appreciate how easy the other times are. I too am thankful for strength and endurance, as I often stumbled but came back more fortified and able to carry on in God’s name. I may have trembled in fear, and I may have hesitated, but there is no doubt that I have also been surrounded by a host of encouraging people who are the saints not yet recognized here and now. Often I do not recognize the blessings in disguise when they first appear in my life. But, somehow, God always opens my eyes as I grumble or rant about some inconvenience.
So the people I have appreciated and collected and the power I have been granted to endure are all gifts from God to be thankful for — and, without them, I may not exist. I often feel as if I glow in the power of love and God’s light leads me out of darkness into blessings and comfort.
Wow! What a way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Question for the day: What do you treasure that others may not, and how have you shown God you are thankful for all that God has done, regardless of when or if it was asked for?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.