Day 5
Has something in your life been changed by being grateful?
This is a tough question at first glance. I don’t know that something specific has happened because I’m grateful. But looking back over life, even these two very difficult years, I’ve found plenty to be grateful for. I think the gratitude component has kept me from going too deeply into discouragement. I find that most of life is not what we conjure up in our own vivid imaginations. When we go with what we imagined, it will always disappoint us. Too much emphasis on the what "didn’t happen" can drag you down tremendously.
One of my antidotes to that kind of discouragement is a list of thanksgiving hymns and songs, and listening to them has been a great relief. May I recommend you spend some time over this weekend to look up some of your favorite hymns and songs of thanksgiving using YouTube as your source. Many churches and Christian artists have posted their versions of the hymns on YouTube. Use the search box, and type in your hymn and be prepared to see a long list and some songs that might go along with your search. Listen to a few, and it will give you a sense of gratitude that could help you change your emotional state, at least at the moment. Go ahead and try it. Don’t be afraid of newer versions or instrumentation either. Some of the videos are gorgeous in their depictions of the words and thoughts of the hymns as well.
My shortened list includes: We Gather Together, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, The Doxology, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Come Ye Thankful people, come, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, and To God Be The Glory. You are welcomed to add your own. I’m also a big fan of Apple Music and have found many instrumentally rendered versions of these songs that you can listen to. My sound track has a bunch of Thanksgiving Dinner background albums to play while I’m working and writing and answering emails, especially this week. In a few days, I’ll switch over to Christmas Music.
Since the topic is change, I’ll wrestle with what kinds of things do I want to do differently moving forward? Can I show more gratitude to people who touch my life somehow? I read recently how important it is to verbalize our thanks to people we encounter on a daily basis. You might want to try and thank the cashier at the grocery store, or thank the delivery person, by going out of your way to say something. I’m sure you can think of people you might encounter who could be really blessed by your thanking them. McDonald’s window people? Another change for gratitude reasons would be to develop your meditation time, devotional reading, going to church or watching church if you can't go or shouldn't go. Extend how much time you actually spend in prayer. Time it sometime and see how long you do pray. This will shock you at how little it actually is sometimes. So in gratitude to God, pray more, and remember Anne Lamot's advice your prayer should include Help, Thanks, and Wow.
As promised early on in this blog series, here is a complete worship service from last year at my church, when we were on zoom and recording them. You are welcome to advance to the parts you are really interested in. You might find that slowing down to worship will help your soul a whole lot more. I know you have a dozen things you have to do still, but sometimes you can get more done after you are refreshed, than pushing through just to do them.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Pastor Jeff
Here is a complete Thanksgiving Worship service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkw1Ed6n1rI&t=200s
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