Thanks. Giving.

I love that there is a whole time of year when people are, for the most part, a bit more giving, a bit more cheerful, helpful and willing. It's neat that there is a holiday called "Thanksgiving"! Wow, we get a whole long weekend because we are supposed to give thanks! Cool!

I don't know about you, but I don't take a quiet moment to remember the pilgrims or ponder their lives and how this whole holiday started. No, for me it's finding recipes for turkey brines and the perfect mashed potatoes. It's about spending time with friends and family and relaxing a bit. And of course I spent some time thinking about how blessed I feel right now in this season of my life. After what seemed like an eternity suffering through the endless "learning experiences" of my twenties and thirties I am finally at a place of green pastures and quiet waters. I know it won't last forever, but I am very thankful for it.

One interesting thought I had was the way the word "Thanksgiving" is ordered. It could have been called "Givingthanks," meaning a day we give thanks. Or it could have been called "Gratefulness," meaning a state of mind. But I read into it a bit and learned something I thought I would share, so here goes:

I do believe that we serve a gracious and generous God. I believe he showers us with incredible gifts, as David says in Psalm 23, "surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life..." and it's true. So, I have one of three options in response to my awesome God and his wonderful gifts. I can "give thanks," or just simply thank him in prayer. I can "be grateful," or have a mindset of gratitude, or I can "thanks + giving," meaning I say my thank yous and then I go out and find a way to give. THANKS. GIVING. That final option means that I truly grasp the gift and it moves me to respond in action. Pay it forward, if you will. I have been blessed, therefore I will be a blessing. Hey it's more blessed to give than receive. Doesn't the host always get to feast on the leftovers? Yummm...

Lost in Translation

The other day my friend thanked me for being thoughtful. It fired me up so much I felt like I had hit a home run. In fact, I tend to experience that same feeling when my husband really likes my cooking, or when a friend is moved by something I did for them. Well, it got me thinking...I love the people in my life with all my heart. I think of them, pray for them care about them, mourn with them and celebrate with them. Sometimes I wish I could crawl inside their minds and write how I truly feel so they just KNOW. But, as a feeble human, all I can do is show it by what I do and say and by remembering to express myself in meaningful ways.

On the flip side, it bursts my little bubble when I try to encourage someone and it falls flat. They aren't moved, it wasn't enough, it wasn't what they wanted...UGH (hang head). It makes me think about Jesus. Did God up in Heaven ask himself, "What action can I make that will translate to everyone just how much I love them? I know! I will give my only son as a sacrifice of love for them! Surely they will see and KNOW and respond!" Hmmm. It's a language, showing our love. Sometimes it gets "lost in translation" and the receiver is not moved. How much must that hurt and frustrate God, who went "all the way" for us?

I want to respond to him and show him how moved I am by his love and what he did to show it... isn't that true thankfulness, after all?