Are you thankful for the life you have?
Churches around the world during this season are celebrating Harvest Festival. This originates from a time where they would celebrate the yield of the fields, and thank God for His provision.
Please don’t misunderstand, there was work to be done by the farmer. They needed to play their part in planting so as to be able to reap. There was work to be done. However, the day of rest, Sabbath had to be kept, so that there would always remain a focus on God.
And when the harvest came, there would be GREAT joy… Great celebration, and HUGE amounts of thanks…
When things didn’t go to plan, there was less ‘thanks’ and often a lot of moaning and groaning…
This seems, to me, a reflection of people as a whole, even today. We love to complain. Some of us more than others perhaps, but we love to complain. However, I wonder to what end should we be complaining? Furthermore, do we even have anything to complain about?
Let me put this into perspective. I have been really blessed to have grown up in other parts of the world, and travelled and served other places as well (Ecuador, Venezuela, Romania, etc). One of the things that continually shocked me, and left an impression on me, was the hearts of thanks that people had.
There was little in the way of food, shelter and clothing in many of these situations, yet there was a real sense of joy and thankfulness that was always shining through!
I always come back from trips like that feeling challenged and convicted (I believe by God) to re-evaluate what I am complaining about and being thankful for what I have.
Recent events in the news often bring a sense of re-evaluation as well. Mass shootings in the US, natural disasters, people being persecuted and beheaded for their faith, and the list goes one. These things suddenly make us take a minute out of our, sometimes unnecessarily, busy lives to just say thank you to those around us, for the love and friendship they offer, to say thank you to God for the lives we have.
Don’t get me wrong, life can be difficult, rough, stressful, and downright depressing at times. But there is always something to be thankful for.
I previously worked for a charity where I was able to spend time on a ward working with kids with cancer, creating multimedia projects with them.
We did all sorts: ringtones, short videos, photography projects… It was great. There were always such smiling faces, even with having to battle the horrible illness that is cancer. There are two kids that stand out to me the most, let’s call them Jack and John for the sake of this story. Both very different, from ages to interests, but BOTH always thankful. Thankful for the day they had. Thankful for the opportunity to smile, laugh, love. Both had GRUMPY and terrible days, but both, at ages under 12, had a real grasp on the importance of thankfulness and joy!
They had a different perspective.
We read in Isaiah That those that are rescued by the Lord will be overtaken by gladness and joy, and that sorrow and mourning will disappear.
That only comes with a perspective, I know. But it can come. It’s not just for me, but it can be for you.
Why not explore the joy and gladness that can come with the Lord.
Why not step foot into your local church, and see why billions of people around the world are THANKFUL for a relationship with Jesus.
Why not challenge your current perspective, regardless of what it is?
Maybe you don’t feel ready for that yet. Maybe you just need to think about life for a bit.
Ok.
Fair enough. Let me then ask you the question I started with:
Are you thankful for the life you have?
ORIGINALLY USED AS THE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY IN AUGUST 2017 ON BIGGLESFM.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
Simple Faith 