SAYING “THANKS” IS ENOUGH

Gratitude, to me, is one-part awareness that God is the author of all good things, one-part letting go and letting God’s, and one-part responding with gratitude. Today, I want to say a few words about being grateful and saying “thanks” because they reflect an awareness that we are already rich in God’s hands! I asked our liturgist to read two passages this morning- one (Luke 19) reminds us that “thanks” is a powerful word, while the other (Matthew 25) reminds us to use the talents we’ve been given- no matter how few or how many we have- to praise our Lord and do His work in our own lives. Gratitude demands that we thank God is word and deed.

Gratitude is possible when we see that we are indebted to God for those people and things that we often attribute to our own efforts. God is with us. The Holy Spirit is lifting us to higher ground, the saints in heaven are cheering for us! If we are to be a grateful people, we need to get rid of the notion that “it’s all about us.” Blessings are not entitlements. They are gifts of God.

 

Sometimes, as I walk along, I try to get out from under my ego, and feel connected to the world around me. The fallen leaves, the breeze that touches my face, the passersby, the laughter I hear from the innocents. the tears of those who are weathered. If I get out of the way, and let God, I feel connected and indebted,    and it is well with my soul. There are times when ordinary days become memorable in ways that seem small. My parents did a marginal job of parenting. There was too much hell and not enough love. But we had some good times too. I remember the day when my father asked me to play catch. It had never happened before that day and I don’t think it ever happened again, but this one day became a memorable day for me when my dad asked, “do you want to play catch?” Dad said that he wasn’t very good at playing catch… and he wasn’t! But I will always thank God for a moment which fed my soul. God has given me many wonderful moments- none deserved- and I thank God for them! My brother, Larry, and I shared a love for the song, “Me and Bobby McGee,” and I recall playing a version of the song to Larry- in his hospital room- not long before he died. We agreed that it was great and I thank God for giving Larry and me a moment of joy!

God has given me a hope that I couldn’t put my finger on for years and surrounded me with a wife and with children who continue to think that I am better than I am! Thank you, Jesus! Meister Eckhart noted that, “If the only prayer you say is thank you, that will be enough.” 

 

Just now, I see that a friend of ours posted a “thank you” note on FB. It’s about her tiny baby- but it says “thanks” to God, and it goes like this: “I will never forget the wires, the blue lights, the tubes, the monitors, the small diapers, and my tiny baby.” Here is another “thank you” note from a woman I don’t know: “I work from home, taking breaks to walk to the market twice a week. I talk to a cashier as she rings up my purchases. I ask about her grandson. She asks about my kids... This year, we check in about her sister and my mother, who both have Alzheimer’s. The brutal disease is robbing us both, and the sad weight of it all can be a lot. But twice a week, someone I’ve never seen outside the market checks in with me and I’m grateful.” It’s a “God thing,” I would say. To God be the glory, and one more: “The day after you died, a mourning dove began visiting my backyard for the first time. He often appeared after I sat at the wooden table, perching on a nearby branch. I wondered whether he came by coincidence (as you would’ve argued), or as a spiritual visitation. Talking to him filled me with gratitude and reminded me that you live on.” Praise God for another “God thing!” God showed up!

Someone once told me that, God will ask two questions when we stand before Him:

 

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY SON? Did you trust in the Grace and Love that He offered? Did you show his Love in the way you lived?

 

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE GIFT(S) I GAVE YOU? Did you use them for good, whether you received less or more that your neighbor?

And I will add a third question.

 

DID YOU SAY “THANKS”?  Amen!