"In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18
As we come upon Thanksgiving, we are to pause and give thanks. It is easy to be thankful for all the good things that come our way, but, as this scripture reminds us, we are to give thanks for all circumstances; the great and the not-so-great. How do we give thanks when the job we hoped for doesn't come through? How do we give thanks when the diagnosis isn't good? How do we give thanks for the bad news? We can give thanks because we know and believe in a God who joins us in the sorrow as well as the joy. We believe in a God who works from the inside, bolstering us up and giving us the strength to weather through the difficult times. We believe in a God who became a man, so that he could experience every human experience, cry human tears, dance with human joy. We believe in a God who is not far away from us, but who intimately knows every hair on our heads and every cell in our bodies; who, indeed, dwells within us. Yes, the difficult circumstances of our lives can give us an even better view of God and give us even more reason to praise and be grateful! This week, if there are difficulties you face, realize that we are called to be grateful in all circumstances and our God gives us good reason to be grateful! Blessings to you all yours this Thanksgiving...love, heidi
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
To give til it hurts...
"I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."
Luke 21:3-4
It is scary to us to think about giving all we have. Like, the thought of St. Francis giving away the very tunic from his back, makes us shudder. The idea of the poor widow giving the last two coins she has brings us up short. How could we do that? We need to take care of ourselves and our families! We, living in the land of plenty, have a hard time letting go because we have never really had to live without. Those who have experienced profound want have more of a realistic view of what is really essential...and it isn't cable TV. Jesus asks us today to take a serious look at what we have and what we give. In this season of Thanksgiving, it is an especially good time to take stock. We have so much and the more we have, the more we are asked to share. We have a tendency to want those we share with to be deserving, too, and that may not always be apparent to us. We want to know that what we give makes a positive difference in the receiver's life, not just buying them a bottle of whatever vice they have. Today in this reading, we are being taught to simply give....to give from our want, give without knowing where it is going, and give without thinking of ourselves. It's a tall order! Love, heidi
Luke 21:3-4
It is scary to us to think about giving all we have. Like, the thought of St. Francis giving away the very tunic from his back, makes us shudder. The idea of the poor widow giving the last two coins she has brings us up short. How could we do that? We need to take care of ourselves and our families! We, living in the land of plenty, have a hard time letting go because we have never really had to live without. Those who have experienced profound want have more of a realistic view of what is really essential...and it isn't cable TV. Jesus asks us today to take a serious look at what we have and what we give. In this season of Thanksgiving, it is an especially good time to take stock. We have so much and the more we have, the more we are asked to share. We have a tendency to want those we share with to be deserving, too, and that may not always be apparent to us. We want to know that what we give makes a positive difference in the receiver's life, not just buying them a bottle of whatever vice they have. Today in this reading, we are being taught to simply give....to give from our want, give without knowing where it is going, and give without thinking of ourselves. It's a tall order! Love, heidi
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