I remember thinking in my 50s, 60s, and 70s....."Oh sure, I'm getting older but it's not so bad. Maybe I can't run around as much, get tired more easily....but culture is right. Golden Years are wonderful!",
Well, now I'm in my 80s and life has suddenly, drastically changed. I can honestly say I am experiencing physical deterioration! Yes, my body is deteriorating....falling apart......unpredictable aches and pains.....drooping body parts pulled by gravity......wrinkly skin......edematous legs....arthritic joints. How come? Where is my body going??? 'Golden Years'? I don't think so.
Isn't it amazing. We spend our lives growing physically and mentally, producing, creating as we seek to make a name for ourselves in this highly competitive world and then......boom!....all of a sudden we start decreasing in body, mind and strength. Why did God make us this way? Why can't we humans go out to a standing ovation, glorifying our accomplishments and rejoicing in our man-made success? But instead we end our lives in our later years limping, holding our canes or wheeling along in the chair, laden with hearing aides, braces and trifocals. 'Golden Years'???
Psalm 90 describes it so well......verse 5 "You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the grass of the morning - though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered." And verse 10 "The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." NIV
I ask myself, "Where is the Janet I knew?" But then I realize 'Janet' is still here. Even though my body is falling apart and decaying, I am still me. I am still the 'Janet' that God in His wisdom created. Even though I can't walk 2 miles a day, even though I can't sing concerts all over the place, even though I can't entertain and serve dinner for twelve, even though I can't wash the windows and vacuum the pool, even though I can't shop all day for all those things I want but don't need, even though I can't jump in the car and drive 9 1/2 hours to our lake house in Canada....I am still Janet.
I am the same Janet who thinks, feels, remembers, prays, cries, laughs, loves....all those intangible attributes that are part of me. Those personality traits are not going away. And that is the life that was, is, and always will be....me! Just the physical body is wearing down and crumbling away.
In Genesis 2: 7 we read about the creation of man...... "And the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a human being." Then we read in Genesis 3: 19 after Adam and Eve disobeyed God's commands and ate the forbidden fruit, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return."NIV
No wonder we see ourselves deteriorating. Our physical bodies end up in dust! Our flesh literally rots, decomposes and falls away.....the bones become brittle and break.
So if my physical body is turning to dust, I know how vitally important it is to trust in my Lord and Savior. The God I dearly believe in, the precious Jesus who has protected me, loved me, healed me, gifted me has never left me. Now is the time to draw close to Him and prepare to enter His presence for that is where I will be throughout eternity. I love what it says in Revelation 21: 3-4 "Now the dwelling of God will be with men, and He will live with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." NIV What a blessing eternity will be!
Yes, the Janet that God created will live on into eternity......the non-physical, inanimate me. How beautiful....how amazing. We are all totally different people with totally individual personalities and that is why Janet will always be Janet.
I'm so glad I know Jesus, that I know His Spirit dwells in me, that I know when my body turns to dust I will be in Paradise with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3: 16 NIV
Friday, October 13, 2017
Saturday, June 17, 2017
His Plan.....
Have you ever asked "Why am I here?" or "Where did I come from?" or "What's going to happen to me......if........?"
I've asked those questions....yes.....many times. Life sometimes appears so complex, so challenging, so unpredictable.....that we wonder.....and subsequently search for an answer.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about Creation.....how this earth was formed.....how we humans came to be......how amazing the way our physical bodies function.......how our minds, emotions, and bodies are intricately connected.....how we are all created with a hunger in our soul for a living God.
The search, of course, brings me to reading the Bible again and again. It never ceases to amaze me that as often as I read scripture over and over, the more I gain from it.
It all begins with Genesis chapter one......"In the beginning". This has become a controversial chapter mainly due to evolutionary thinking in our culture. Having been brain washed with Darwin's theories in school, I remember, as a teen, driving along the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey and thinking....."It took millions of years for the Delaware River to carve through that mountain. How did that happen?" And then I would look at the river and wonder why the river has stayed at the same level for hundreds of years and never gotten any deeper. I thought 'evolution' kept evolving. Hmmm.
But over 30 years ago I was challenged by some 'creationists' to think of Genesis in a literal time frame. That God, in His infinite wisdom and unequaled power, created all there is of heaven and earth in just 6 literal days. It was quite a step for me, but as I looked at various rock formations and vast differences in land geography, I began to say, "OK, I'll try thinking all this was created in 6 literal days, only 10,000 years ago by Almighty God."
Then my thoughts went to the amazing miracles I've read about in the Bible. What about the 'loaves and fishes' and 'Jesus calming the storm' and 'raising Lazarus from the dead' and the 'Virgin Birth' and 'Jesus resurrection'. And think about 'the Flood' and 'the parting of the Red Sea'. Was I going to throw all those miracles away or did I really think they happened? Then if God has the power to perform all those miracles.......surely Creation in 6 days only 10,000 years ago is an easy job.
My next question was "Why? Why did He do all those amazing miracles?" And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating......."because He has a plan."
Now I can speak personally You've all heard the story of my experience with brain cancer......my sudden diagnosis on July 8, 2010 with CNS lymphoma a "lethal, aggressive, rare cancer" located in the left thalamus of my brain and being told on that day "Janet, you have 7 weeks to live!" And when told that, I remembered the beautiful vision I had of Jesus the night of May 26, 2010 (just 6 weeks prior to my cancer diagnosis) when Jesus came and spoke to me saying,"You will be healed, BUT on My own time frame."
And here I am.....2017......still alive, with clear mental faculties, total memory recall and NO SIGN OF CANCER! In fact my oncologist in Holland MI told me this year when I saw him for my annual update appointment, "Janet, your cancer experience is unprecedented. Of all the patients that I have known with CNS lymphoma, you are the only one I've known to live this long. If those patients did in fact survive their initial diagnosis they never survived more than 31/2 or at the most 4 years. Here it is 7 years since your diagnosis and we see no sign of cancer. This indeed is a miracle."
Yes, the miracles in the Bible are wonderful. But when a miracle happens to me.......Wow. Now it's personal......now I know what a miracle feels like. It is real! Jesus is real and He healed me!
Of course I wonder, "Why? Why me? Why didn't God perform a miracle on all those younger women. Why give me the 'miracle'?" And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating........."because He has a plan".
Yes, God has plans for each one of us and that plan is for the 'good'. As I daily struggle with my physical disabilities resulting from the brain cancer I, like Paul, pray for healing and deliverance. I still walk with a cane, still struggle climbing stairs and walking over uneven ground, cannot totally use my right hand and arm, even struggle turning over in bed, struggle opening heavy doors, struggle with living in a right-handed world, become frustrated with difficulty dressing and performing ordinary household chores, everything takes longer for me to do........yes.......I keep wondering........Why Lord? Why have You healed the cancer and left me with all this physical inability? And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating........."because He has a plan."
God created everything and everyone. His plan is beyond my inept human mind. But God knows what He's doing. He has a plan and, as I communicate with Him each day, I pray that I am abiding in His plan.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. Psalm 93: 1-2
I've asked those questions....yes.....many times. Life sometimes appears so complex, so challenging, so unpredictable.....that we wonder.....and subsequently search for an answer.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about Creation.....how this earth was formed.....how we humans came to be......how amazing the way our physical bodies function.......how our minds, emotions, and bodies are intricately connected.....how we are all created with a hunger in our soul for a living God.
The search, of course, brings me to reading the Bible again and again. It never ceases to amaze me that as often as I read scripture over and over, the more I gain from it.
It all begins with Genesis chapter one......"In the beginning". This has become a controversial chapter mainly due to evolutionary thinking in our culture. Having been brain washed with Darwin's theories in school, I remember, as a teen, driving along the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey and thinking....."It took millions of years for the Delaware River to carve through that mountain. How did that happen?" And then I would look at the river and wonder why the river has stayed at the same level for hundreds of years and never gotten any deeper. I thought 'evolution' kept evolving. Hmmm.
But over 30 years ago I was challenged by some 'creationists' to think of Genesis in a literal time frame. That God, in His infinite wisdom and unequaled power, created all there is of heaven and earth in just 6 literal days. It was quite a step for me, but as I looked at various rock formations and vast differences in land geography, I began to say, "OK, I'll try thinking all this was created in 6 literal days, only 10,000 years ago by Almighty God."
Then my thoughts went to the amazing miracles I've read about in the Bible. What about the 'loaves and fishes' and 'Jesus calming the storm' and 'raising Lazarus from the dead' and the 'Virgin Birth' and 'Jesus resurrection'. And think about 'the Flood' and 'the parting of the Red Sea'. Was I going to throw all those miracles away or did I really think they happened? Then if God has the power to perform all those miracles.......surely Creation in 6 days only 10,000 years ago is an easy job.
My next question was "Why? Why did He do all those amazing miracles?" And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating......."because He has a plan."
Now I can speak personally You've all heard the story of my experience with brain cancer......my sudden diagnosis on July 8, 2010 with CNS lymphoma a "lethal, aggressive, rare cancer" located in the left thalamus of my brain and being told on that day "Janet, you have 7 weeks to live!" And when told that, I remembered the beautiful vision I had of Jesus the night of May 26, 2010 (just 6 weeks prior to my cancer diagnosis) when Jesus came and spoke to me saying,"You will be healed, BUT on My own time frame."
And here I am.....2017......still alive, with clear mental faculties, total memory recall and NO SIGN OF CANCER! In fact my oncologist in Holland MI told me this year when I saw him for my annual update appointment, "Janet, your cancer experience is unprecedented. Of all the patients that I have known with CNS lymphoma, you are the only one I've known to live this long. If those patients did in fact survive their initial diagnosis they never survived more than 31/2 or at the most 4 years. Here it is 7 years since your diagnosis and we see no sign of cancer. This indeed is a miracle."
Yes, the miracles in the Bible are wonderful. But when a miracle happens to me.......Wow. Now it's personal......now I know what a miracle feels like. It is real! Jesus is real and He healed me!
Of course I wonder, "Why? Why me? Why didn't God perform a miracle on all those younger women. Why give me the 'miracle'?" And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating........."because He has a plan".
Yes, God has plans for each one of us and that plan is for the 'good'. As I daily struggle with my physical disabilities resulting from the brain cancer I, like Paul, pray for healing and deliverance. I still walk with a cane, still struggle climbing stairs and walking over uneven ground, cannot totally use my right hand and arm, even struggle turning over in bed, struggle opening heavy doors, struggle with living in a right-handed world, become frustrated with difficulty dressing and performing ordinary household chores, everything takes longer for me to do........yes.......I keep wondering........Why Lord? Why have You healed the cancer and left me with all this physical inability? And the answer my consciousness keeps repeating........."because He has a plan."
God created everything and everyone. His plan is beyond my inept human mind. But God knows what He's doing. He has a plan and, as I communicate with Him each day, I pray that I am abiding in His plan.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. Psalm 93: 1-2
Friday, April 14, 2017
"And the Word became flesh"
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...." are the familiar words in John 1:14. Lately the full impact of the humanity of Jesus has really hit me. I have always thought so much about His divinity I somehow overlooked the full impact of His taking on flesh and blood, His humanness, His becoming like us. And on this Good Friday, this day of days, when we all remember the savage dying that He experienced.....a slow, excruciating, painful, humiliating, intolerable death on a cross.....we begin, yes..only begin to comprehend what Jesus Christ did for us.
I have read detailed descriptions of what dying on a cross does to a physical body.......the pain of nails being driven into wrists and ankles, the utter helplessness of arms outstretched with a body exposed to jeering mobs, the agony of the desperate struggle to breathe while gravity pulls the body downward......truly a slow, torturous, agonizing dying.
Then to imagine the emotional torture.....knowing He was God and letting sinful men blaspheme Him. Looking out on family and devoted followers who cried in agony as He suffered, and they did not, could not understand what was going on. Hanging there, yet loving every soldier, Jewish leader, mocker, enemy......because God loves us all. Yes, His taking on flesh means He felt what I feel, He suffers when I suffer, He hurts when I hurt...because He understands. But I never suffered the way He suffered on that cross.
And then the truth hits me. Jesus willingly took on Himself that horrible agony. He chose to let the people whip Him, torture Him, laugh at Him, jeer Him, nail Him, thrust the spear in Him......because He wanted to be the ultimate blood sacrifice......willingly. As we read and know, He could have called "10 thousand angels" in the Garden to save Him, but He did not.
As we read further in John 1:18......"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." I can't help but think.....isn't it true......we tend not to believe something unless we see it. In our technological, scientific age we think that we must have tangible evidence for believing. And no one has seen God.
So God sent His Son......."And the Word became flesh". John MacArthur, in his notes in the MacArthur Study Bible, states that the disciple, John, refers to the "Word" as found in the Old Testament and "made it refer to a person, Jesus Christ". The notes continue......"The Word, as the Second Person of the Trinity, was in intimate fellowship with God the Father throughout all eternity. Yet, although the Word enjoyed the splendors of heaven and eternity with the Father, He willingly gave up His heavenly status, taking the form of a man, and became subject to the death of a cross." (My emphasis added.)
Yes, God sent His only Son, so that live humans...in AD 30 - 33...like us....could see Him, touch Him, hear Him and thus know God and know God is REAL.....evidence proved! And what is more incredible in our human weak mindset.... the only Son, Jesus Christ, did not hesitate.....but willingly endured death on a cross so we could be given eternal life with God the Father. Oh, that all would believe in this magnificent sacrifice, this loving God, this Savior and Redeemer. I pray that would be!
I have read detailed descriptions of what dying on a cross does to a physical body.......the pain of nails being driven into wrists and ankles, the utter helplessness of arms outstretched with a body exposed to jeering mobs, the agony of the desperate struggle to breathe while gravity pulls the body downward......truly a slow, torturous, agonizing dying.
Then to imagine the emotional torture.....knowing He was God and letting sinful men blaspheme Him. Looking out on family and devoted followers who cried in agony as He suffered, and they did not, could not understand what was going on. Hanging there, yet loving every soldier, Jewish leader, mocker, enemy......because God loves us all. Yes, His taking on flesh means He felt what I feel, He suffers when I suffer, He hurts when I hurt...because He understands. But I never suffered the way He suffered on that cross.
And then the truth hits me. Jesus willingly took on Himself that horrible agony. He chose to let the people whip Him, torture Him, laugh at Him, jeer Him, nail Him, thrust the spear in Him......because He wanted to be the ultimate blood sacrifice......willingly. As we read and know, He could have called "10 thousand angels" in the Garden to save Him, but He did not.
As we read further in John 1:18......"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." I can't help but think.....isn't it true......we tend not to believe something unless we see it. In our technological, scientific age we think that we must have tangible evidence for believing. And no one has seen God.
So God sent His Son......."And the Word became flesh". John MacArthur, in his notes in the MacArthur Study Bible, states that the disciple, John, refers to the "Word" as found in the Old Testament and "made it refer to a person, Jesus Christ". The notes continue......"The Word, as the Second Person of the Trinity, was in intimate fellowship with God the Father throughout all eternity. Yet, although the Word enjoyed the splendors of heaven and eternity with the Father, He willingly gave up His heavenly status, taking the form of a man, and became subject to the death of a cross." (My emphasis added.)
Yes, God sent His only Son, so that live humans...in AD 30 - 33...like us....could see Him, touch Him, hear Him and thus know God and know God is REAL.....evidence proved! And what is more incredible in our human weak mindset.... the only Son, Jesus Christ, did not hesitate.....but willingly endured death on a cross so we could be given eternal life with God the Father. Oh, that all would believe in this magnificent sacrifice, this loving God, this Savior and Redeemer. I pray that would be!
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Tearful sobs turned to songs of joy!
Our son, Glenn, lives near Syracuse, NY. A healthy, strong 54 year old with athletic abilities, he loves winter skiing. On Sunday, February 19, he was at the Tug Hill Plateau area, where their 16 year old daughter was in a ski race. As usual Glenn stood at the top of the mountain with other friends and parents of young skiers to see them off. Grace started off. Then suddenly Glenn started speaking with garbled words...and then he lost his balance and fell in the snow. Immediately friends gathered around him realizing something was terribly wrong.....Glenn was having a stroke! Glenn?....a stroke?....why, he's too healthy!... how could this be?
Immediately, someone called over to the Ski Patrol, who 'just happened' to be at that site on top of the mountain. Those guys recognized stroke symptoms and took over administering oxygen with a tank slung over Glenn's chest. Ambulance was called. Quickly Glenn was transported to a nearby heliport for the helicopter ride to Utica, NY, St Luke's hospital where (it just so happened) a vacant "stroke bed' was awaiting him. Within the hour, the stroke med, TPA, was administered. TPA is like a miracle and in most cases, if given within 3-4 hours of stroke symptoms, can eradicate any stroke damage. Glenn had the med in less than an hour! God was in control!
Within 24 hours Glenn was showing signs of improvement. From inability to talk....(he had just mumbled), unable to move his right arm and leg, he began speaking slowly and slightly moving his right side. Amazing!
After EEG, EKG, MRI, diagnosis was made.......atrial fibrillation 'afib'. A tiny clot had traveled from his heart to his brain and caused the stroke. Families and friends were shocked. Glenn?... a stroke? A guy who worked out, watched what he ate, constantly in an active sport whether skiing, golf, canoeing, swimming.....never any indication of irregular heartbeat... ever......yes, unbelievable.
God is amazing. Glenn usually spends hours alone on the road in his job leasing shopping centers. The blood clot could have spun off from his heart when he was driving and then he would have ended in a deadly crash. But, God has a plan for each one of us. With Glenn, God has given him more opportunity to serve Him. Also, God wanted to remind Glenn's friends and family that He is all powerful, that He is Omnipotent, that He has a plan for our lives and He is in complete control.
It is now one week since the stroke. Glenn is out of ICU, preparing to be transferred to Upstate Hospital in Syracuse on Monday (15 minutes from their house) for 2 weeks of intensive PT. The neurologist predicts a "TOTAL RECOVERY"!
Last Sunday evening, upon hearing the unbelievable news of Glenn's stroke, I sobbed and cried for several hours, praying to Almighty God to spare our son's life. I couldn't help but think of the Old Testament story of Hannah who prayed unceasingly for a son and God granted her request with the birth of Samuel. Our prayers, our passionate heartfelt prayers are heard by Almighty God. I am convinced of that. They are always heard and answered but not always what we want. This time, saving Glenn's life was in God's plan and that causes us to be eternally grateful. No matter what age, we love our children with unconditional, deep abiding love. And the thought that death would take them before us is excruciatingly painful. Parents who have experienced the death of a child know that. But when your child is saved from death, the joy is overwhelming! Oh Lord, I further pray that in my weak, sinful humanness, I may never forget this time of witnessing Your boundless love and healing mercies.
We now have songs of joy, praising God for advances in modern medicine to produce TPA, and for His healing compassion and wisdom in extending our son's life. PRAISE THE LORD!
Immediately, someone called over to the Ski Patrol, who 'just happened' to be at that site on top of the mountain. Those guys recognized stroke symptoms and took over administering oxygen with a tank slung over Glenn's chest. Ambulance was called. Quickly Glenn was transported to a nearby heliport for the helicopter ride to Utica, NY, St Luke's hospital where (it just so happened) a vacant "stroke bed' was awaiting him. Within the hour, the stroke med, TPA, was administered. TPA is like a miracle and in most cases, if given within 3-4 hours of stroke symptoms, can eradicate any stroke damage. Glenn had the med in less than an hour! God was in control!
Within 24 hours Glenn was showing signs of improvement. From inability to talk....(he had just mumbled), unable to move his right arm and leg, he began speaking slowly and slightly moving his right side. Amazing!
After EEG, EKG, MRI, diagnosis was made.......atrial fibrillation 'afib'. A tiny clot had traveled from his heart to his brain and caused the stroke. Families and friends were shocked. Glenn?... a stroke? A guy who worked out, watched what he ate, constantly in an active sport whether skiing, golf, canoeing, swimming.....never any indication of irregular heartbeat... ever......yes, unbelievable.
God is amazing. Glenn usually spends hours alone on the road in his job leasing shopping centers. The blood clot could have spun off from his heart when he was driving and then he would have ended in a deadly crash. But, God has a plan for each one of us. With Glenn, God has given him more opportunity to serve Him. Also, God wanted to remind Glenn's friends and family that He is all powerful, that He is Omnipotent, that He has a plan for our lives and He is in complete control.
It is now one week since the stroke. Glenn is out of ICU, preparing to be transferred to Upstate Hospital in Syracuse on Monday (15 minutes from their house) for 2 weeks of intensive PT. The neurologist predicts a "TOTAL RECOVERY"!
Last Sunday evening, upon hearing the unbelievable news of Glenn's stroke, I sobbed and cried for several hours, praying to Almighty God to spare our son's life. I couldn't help but think of the Old Testament story of Hannah who prayed unceasingly for a son and God granted her request with the birth of Samuel. Our prayers, our passionate heartfelt prayers are heard by Almighty God. I am convinced of that. They are always heard and answered but not always what we want. This time, saving Glenn's life was in God's plan and that causes us to be eternally grateful. No matter what age, we love our children with unconditional, deep abiding love. And the thought that death would take them before us is excruciatingly painful. Parents who have experienced the death of a child know that. But when your child is saved from death, the joy is overwhelming! Oh Lord, I further pray that in my weak, sinful humanness, I may never forget this time of witnessing Your boundless love and healing mercies.
We now have songs of joy, praising God for advances in modern medicine to produce TPA, and for His healing compassion and wisdom in extending our son's life. PRAISE THE LORD!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Do I say 'THANK YOU' enough?
It's just two small words....two small words that have serious results. THANK YOU takes seconds to say, a minute to write.... and yet... has our culture become so busy or distracted that we don't say the words?
When I was growing up I remember writing the 'thank you notes' the week after Christmas. As a child, prompted by a proper mother, I obediently spent time writing to grandparents, aunts, church friends, my Brownie leader and any other person who had given me a thoughtful Christmas gift. Yes, it was tedious, a little boring...but it trained me to be grateful for the kind loving thought that initiated that gift.
Thank you notes or emails seem rare today. And I wonder.....are we.....am I... becoming less grateful? Are we really thankful for that shirt or that scarf or that book..or do we run to the store for exchange? Why do people neglect to say "Thank you"?
I've shared these thoughts with a number of my friends and I was amazed by how my friends all responded with similar comments. For example......"My grandson has never thanked me for the check we sent him for his birthday for the past 2 years!"....."My daughter-in-law opened her gift on Christmas and never uttered "Thank you"!....."Since none of my grandkids thank me for birthday gifts anymore, I thank I'll just stop sending them."
How sad! The reason we give a gift is because we love the person. And to be truly unselfish in our giving, we totally release that gift to them. But our hearts are numbed when there is no positive grateful response. We feel good when joy is shared. So even if we really don't like a gift shouldn't we at least say "Thank you"? It's the love that's given, not the material substance.
It can't help but remind me.....am I remembering to say 'thank you' to Almighty God? I've learned that everything I possess, everything that happens to me, everything that I've been healed from, everything that makes me happy, everything that blesses me.....all comes from my loving Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Lord! Scripture says again and again .......
Psalm 75:1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God
As John MacArthur states, "Gratitude to God accompanies all true prayer." When I pray, no matter if the prayer is placed under disappointment, stress, pain, or agony, I must remember to give God 'thanks'. By filling my heart with thankfulness to God, my thankfulness spills over into my daily life.
Let us remember to be thankful....to God and to all. Perhaps our stating "thank you" constantly in my life will encourage others to do the same.
When I was growing up I remember writing the 'thank you notes' the week after Christmas. As a child, prompted by a proper mother, I obediently spent time writing to grandparents, aunts, church friends, my Brownie leader and any other person who had given me a thoughtful Christmas gift. Yes, it was tedious, a little boring...but it trained me to be grateful for the kind loving thought that initiated that gift.
Thank you notes or emails seem rare today. And I wonder.....are we.....am I... becoming less grateful? Are we really thankful for that shirt or that scarf or that book..or do we run to the store for exchange? Why do people neglect to say "Thank you"?
I've shared these thoughts with a number of my friends and I was amazed by how my friends all responded with similar comments. For example......"My grandson has never thanked me for the check we sent him for his birthday for the past 2 years!"....."My daughter-in-law opened her gift on Christmas and never uttered "Thank you"!....."Since none of my grandkids thank me for birthday gifts anymore, I thank I'll just stop sending them."
How sad! The reason we give a gift is because we love the person. And to be truly unselfish in our giving, we totally release that gift to them. But our hearts are numbed when there is no positive grateful response. We feel good when joy is shared. So even if we really don't like a gift shouldn't we at least say "Thank you"? It's the love that's given, not the material substance.
It can't help but remind me.....am I remembering to say 'thank you' to Almighty God? I've learned that everything I possess, everything that happens to me, everything that I've been healed from, everything that makes me happy, everything that blesses me.....all comes from my loving Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Lord! Scripture says again and again .......
Psalm 75:1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God
As John MacArthur states, "Gratitude to God accompanies all true prayer." When I pray, no matter if the prayer is placed under disappointment, stress, pain, or agony, I must remember to give God 'thanks'. By filling my heart with thankfulness to God, my thankfulness spills over into my daily life.
Let us remember to be thankful....to God and to all. Perhaps our stating "thank you" constantly in my life will encourage others to do the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)