Devotion: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Please take the time to read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
One summer, a few years ago, a friend of mine invited me to participate in a Bible study with three other women. We went to different churches. We were all in a different place on our faith journey. We met once a week, in the early morning, on someone’s patio, over coffee and iced tea. We read a book but mostly we talked about our relationship with God. A question that came up, that I’ve thought about no less than 1,001 times since then is… If it was possible for God to walk up to you in the flesh and tell you His plan for your life, would you want Him to do that? Think about it.
We all think God has big plans for us. We’re meant to lead a movement, win a groundbreaking case, be the teacher kids remember when they are 80, discover something new, write a novel, be the person who is thanked in an Oscar acceptance speech, maybe win an Oscar or make enough money to give thousands – even millions – of dollars away when we die. But what if that’s not God’s plan for you. What if God’s plan for you is to be a good neighbor to the people in your neighborhood. If you have kids, be a good parent. That’s it. That’s the plan. His plan isn’t for you to do something big, but something little in a big way. Something only he may recognize as being important. Do you want to know that? Do you want to know what His plan is for you? Do you want to know that the path you’re on may not be the one God intended for you, or might be just the path God intended for you?
Personally, I go back and forth with my answer. Some days I want to know in plain English what God’s plan is for me. I want it in my morning emails, preferably in Comic Sans font – you know, something a little fun – with the important words bolded. On other days, I want wiggle room, a little plausible deniability. I want to be able to say “I would have done that if I would have known…” “I could have made a different choice if only…” Basically, “God, I didn’t get the email.”
And then I read this scripture. And read it again. And again. And read it out loud. Rejoice ALWAYS? Pray CONTINUALLY? Give thanks in ALL circumstances? Really? I mean, really? Is that even possible?
Where’s the wiggle room? How can I – we – possibly have plausible deniability if that’s God’s will for me? For all of us? What happens when we fall short, go off course, miss the sign, choose A over B…don’t get the email?
The truth is, that in the beauty of being one of God’s children, there is plenty of room for error, forgiveness, and doing better next time, but no wiggle room for not trying to live as He willed us to. As he told us in Paul’s email that is his letter in 1 Thessalonians. There’s no denying who he wants us to be as people, even if some of our individual roles and paths may be less clear.
On this day of Thanksgiving, as we celebrate with family, friends, and those yet to be one or the other, rejoice, say a prayer and give thanks. And then let us practice doing it again. And again. And again. And again. Always. Continually. In all circumstances. We can do this!
Good, Gracious and Generous God,
Let us remember that you are always ready to rejoice with us, continually listen to our prayers and give us something to be thankful for in all circumstances. Life is hard. Not fair. Painful. Help us to focus on your gifts, beauty and generosity in every situation we encounter. Give us the patience to practice living a life of gratitude in order that we one day do it from muscle memory. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness and for making it clear who we are to be as your children. And of course, thank you for donuts!
Amen
Written by Dacia Kruse
Dacia lives in Lincoln and was married in October. She is a lobbyist and mediator through The Mediation Center where she primarily works with parents who are separating and trying to figure out how to co-parent their kids.
She has been a member of Sheridan since the late 1990’s. She regularly attends Lunch Table Theology and serves on a Saturday evening hospitality team, the Sunday morning Welcome Center team and as a Wedding Coordinator. In her free time, she likes to read, travel, shop and decorate her house.