Thanksgiving 2020

                                                                      Thanksgiving 2020

“In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thess.5:18

Thanksgiving 2020 will be unlike any other in our lifetime . For seniors or those with preexisting conditions, the Thanksgiving meal may be eaten alone this year. For those who will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with family, there may empty seats at the table with zoom meetings scheduled to wish grandma or grandpa a happy Thanksgiving.

Even in 2020 the Lord commands us to give thanks. And when we pause to think about it, we all have things to be grateful for.

During this unprecedented season, I want to challenge each of us during the month of November to write down each day what we are thankful for.  If many things pop into your mind right now, I would challenge you to write down 5 items per day.  If that seems too hard, aim for 3.  And if this is a time in your life where the world seems unusually bleak (and we have all been there) then I challenge you to write down 1 thing per day.

If you woke up in a comfortable bed with a roof over your head, give thanks.  If you have food in the refrigerator, that is a reason for thanksgiving.  If you can see or hear or taste or smell, write it on your list. After making a list, pause and say a prayer of thanksgiving to our God who is the giver of all good things.

When the month of November comes to an end, look back on your list and thank God again for His blessings. Many times the act of purposeful gratitude can have an impact on your life. If that happens to you, be sure to tell someone about it.

We may not be celebrating Thanksgiving in our usual way this year. But we can still participate in the real meaning of the day as we thank our God for His many blessings.

Stars

 ”The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

The stars shown brightly in the cloudless sky at 6 a.m. An older woman put on her robe and stepped out onto her porch and looked at the stars.  She could hear the sounds of traffic a few blocks away. Many miles away a farmer stepped outside of his barn and paused to look at the magnificence of the starry night. He could hear the sound of a rooster crowing. Farther away a young woman in the mountains stepped into her back yard and beheld the beauty of the 6 a.m. sky.  She could hear the gentle sound of a nearby stream.

God’s handiwork is evident to all. It is evident to city dwellers, rural dwellers, mountain dwellers alike.  It can be seen by people in North America, Africa, or any other continent.  It is a free gift of beauty available to rich and poor alike.

Why did God put stars into the sky?  The psalmist states that the heavens declare His glory.  It is hard to imagine anyone gazing at a starry sky and not feeling a sense of awe and wonder. The beauty is evident to all.  It speaks of a Creator whose masterpiece leaves us speechless.

The psalmist also speaks of the sky and the things in it as God’s “handiwork”. When I think of handiwork I picture a woman knitting.  Her fingers move deftly while she carries on a conversation or watches tv.  For an experienced knitter, the handiwork is effortless.  Thus, we are given the image of God placing the stars in the sky as effortlessly as the knitter completes a row of stitches.

Why did God put stars into the sky? Perhaps He wanted to remind us that He is there. To give the early riser a reason to pause before rushing into the day.  To see a magnificent image and to stand in awe of a Creator who put the stars into the sky as effortlessly as a knitter completes a row of stitches.

Let us pause and praise our magnificent Creator.

Watcher for the Morning

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 105:5-6

The cool breeze hitting my face at 6 a.m. feels almost magical.  Only those who have lived through the oppressive heat and humidity of a Florida summer can appreciate the preciousness of early morning coolness.

For that reason I have become an early morning walker.  I leave my home around six when the dark sky is just beginning to lighten.  I begin my walk at the end of night.  I end my walk at the beginning of morning.

During my walk my attention turns towards the eastern sky as the sun begins to rise. On some days the pink and purple in the sky can only be described with words like magnificent and breathtaking.  On other days the clouds obstruct the sun and only a glimmer of pink and purple appear.  And occasionally the clouds completely block the sun, and morning appears with a gradual turning from dark to light.        

 Psalm 105 talks about “those who watch for the morning”. I am now a watcher of the morning.  As I walk towards the east I often wonder what form the sunrise will take. But not once have I questioned whether or not the sun would rise that day. 

In Psalm 105 the psalmist compares the soul who waits for the Lord to the one who watches for the morning.  The Lord invites us to wait for Him.  He invites us to hope in His Word. As we quiet our hearts and open His word, how certain can we be that He will meet us?  The psalmist says that our expectation is “More than those who watch for the morning".  Morning will come. God will meet those who wait for Him.  God’s promise to meet His children is as certain as the promise that the sun will rise each day. Take it from a walker who watches for the morning - it doesn’t get more certain than that!

                                                          Leaping Over a Wall

2 Samuel 22:30 “ By my God I can leap over a wall”

As a senior woman I don’t anticipate leaping over a physical wall any time soon.  And those who remember how non athletic I was in high school recognize that I was unlikely to leap over walls even then.

Recently I have sensed the voice of God calling me to a task which looms before me as daunting as leaping over walls.  He is calling me to start a blog. Just to give you an idea why this daunts me…. I still have an AOL account and I go to the library every week to take out actual books. Tech savvy I am not!

As a follower of Jesus I have the privilege of opening His word every morning and listening to what He has to say to me. I believe that God wants me to share some of these lessons with others through blogging.

 Today’s Scripture promises me that God will go with me and will strengthen me so that I can “leap over the wall” and enter the world of blogging. If you are reading this it means that the leap has been made and I have entered the world of blogging.

Is there something God want you to do? Has God put a dream in your heart? The God who loves you has a  good plan for you no matter how old or how young you are.  If He wants you to do something that seems overwhelming, remember that He promises to equip you to leap over the wall.  And if leaping over that wall seems impossible,  just remember me, the technically unsavvy senior who just posted her first blog!