Thanksgiving Must Be Given

November 24, 2015

Twice in his letters St. Paul asks a question that is often on my mind: "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" (Romans 11:34 and 1 Corinthians 2:16). Tonight as we sat at the table with our kids and grandkids, writing on the Thankful Tablecloth, my mind kept returning to friends whose lives are in turmoil tonight; one grieving the tragic death of his wife, another waiting for his family to return home, still another wondering what the surgeons are going to find when they operate on him in two weeks. Halfway around the world, refugees have left everything familiar in a desperate attempt to simply stay alive, while those remaining in their homeland huddle in fear because of the barbarity of ISIS. And though it doesn't make the news, North Korea is still one of the most oppressive places on the planet.

I don't understand the ways of God, nor the blessings I have received. What I do understand is that I don't deserve them. It was not my choice that placed me in this part of the world at this time in history in this particular family. What I do understand is that with greater blessings come greater responsibility. Blessings were never meant to be hoarded, but shared. So in retirement, the formal job description may have changed, but the moral and spiritual imperative remains. John Wesley said it as well as any:

“Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.”

Actually, this never appears in Wesley's rather voluminous writings, so it's pretty certain he didn't say this, but the quote is still a pretty good summary of what as Christians we ought to be about. I can't change people's circumstances, but I can pray for them, and if through my prayers God doesn't change their circumstances, he changes me, which is almost as good. Prayer keeps me connected with people. When I pray for them, I think of them. When I think of them, I am more apt to actually do something to help them. Sometimes there's not much I can do, but sometimes it doesn't take a lot to make a big difference in someone's life.

So tonight as I give thanks to God for all I have received from his hand, I pray and look for ways to pass those blessings along. They are just too good to hold onto all by myself.