“WHEN THANKSGIVING IS THANKSLIVING”
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
Happy Thanksgiving! This is a national holiday all people in the US of A and around the globe can celebrate in their own unique and traditional ways… and may your favorite team win!
When I write out the words… ‘thanksgiving is thanksliving…’ I kind of say it to myself the way Forest Gump would in his Greenbow, Alabama drawl… that… ‘thanksgiving-guh is thanksliving-guh… and way more important than a box of chocolates!
But if thanksgiving is ever to be thanksliving then each of us will need to own that attitude… one day at a time and day by day for all the days to come…
And what might ‘thanksliving’ look like?
#1 – “WE BECOME WHATEVER WE ARE COMMITTED TO”… Churches and organizations are full of people… some mature and others are just learning. Spiritual maturity, therefore, is intentional. And it takes time. If you are committed to Jesus and his church, above all things, then your actions and behavior will reflect that commitment.
If you are committed, above all things, to something else… your behavior and actions will reflect that as well… and the children see it this way… “they do what we do… not what we say we do.” Add that to your Thursday menu!
#2 – “CHARACTER IS SHAPED BY THE HABITS WE DEVELOP”… So, this is not a “quick fix” thing! But, as I have suggested for many years now, any journey of faith is “life-long” and needs constant monitoring. As we practice our faith, our character is revealed to God and all who watching. Someone once said, “Our true character is revealed by our actions when we think no one is looking”… Are you practicing those faith habits?
# 3 – “THANKSLIVING GROWS FASTER WHEN A PATH TO GROW ON IS PROVIDED”… The key is— “intentionality.” Whether it be a ‘read the Bible in a year’ plan or asking two friends to evaluate your life in love and hope or finding a pastor, priest, rabbi, or life coach help you map out the coming year… with specific and measurable goals can be most helpful. And key to all this is asking yourself… “Do I have a plan?
#4 – “THANKSLIVING IS SEEN BY BEHAVIOR MORE THAN BY BELIEFS” … faith is not morality. But our morality flows from faith! Faith is a gift… grace based, and our actions flow in response to the glory of God and as a Christian (my tribe is the Lutheran Christian kind!) a reflection of one’s faith in Jesus as Lord. So, take a moment and ask, “Am I behaving like a child of God? Am I living as a servant of Christ?”
“Does my life bear the mark of generosity?” Another way to reflect on that thought is to just say…”My actions reflect what I believe” or “have I given up finally on being a child?” That’s a good place to start on any self-evaluation… and if my faith doesn’t change my lifestyle… then my faith may not be worth very much… and one more way to think of this is to suggest… “I might behave my way into a new thinking…” … or as Forest Gump would say… ‘a new thinking-guh!”
#5- “WE GROW AND MATURE VIA OUR RELATIONSHIPS!” Lastly, I think in addition to prayer and reading my Bible and going to worship… spending time with others is key as… it is to our doom to go it alone… for it is in our relationships we find blessings and the reasons to give thanks. I’m wanting 2023 to end well. So, let’s ‘own’ Thanksgiving and on into Christmas so others will want what we have… our thanksliving-guh changing the world! Faith matters! Mine and yours!
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
