Thanksgiving lessons from the leaves...

Today, as I raked the leaves in my yard, this blog from years ago, came to mind...and it began with the wind.

Yesterday, I tackled the job of raking the front yard. We have a beautiful popcorn tree that just a few weeks ago was full of the most beautiful colored leaves. Now they all lay at my feet and covered every square inch of my yard in crunchy brown fragments. I knew the weather was going to turn and if I was going to get this done, now was the time. So I raked, and raked, and raked. To make the job more interesting, the wind kept blowing and scattering my leaves. I offered up a prayer - okay, it was more of a complaint..."Come on, God! Give me a break!" For a moment, the wind turned and blew with me instead of against me; I smiled only to then immediately experience the wind shift again. It was then that one of those random thoughts hit.

From here on, this blog may seem redundant, stating the obvious for the oblivious. Yet, it is something I must remind myself of daily. Can I thank God in ALL things, not just those I see as a blessing?

As I raked and the wind turned against me again, I realized that the same wind that blew my work away was bringing a cool refreshing to my sweaty brow. It caused leaves to dance in merriment up to the unbelievably blue sky. I could get angry and "shake my fist" at the wind, or I could take a step back and see things in a different way. Instead of working against the wind, I needed to shift my position and work with that wind....see the gift that it brought in the midst of challenges.

Many challenges I face in life are nothing more than things not going the way I think they should. Perhaps in these times, there is something I can learn. Do I fuss and fume when things don't go "my way"? Do I stare in disbelief when life hands me pain? Do I forget to look up and see if perhaps that which is causing me frustration is at the same time blowing in something else I need? Am I willing to be thankful in ALL things?

That same popcorn tree had given us shade all summer long when we needed it. It had painted a beautiful picture to welcome me home during the first few days of fall. It will serve as the backdrop for our nativity this Christmas. I had thanked God for its shade and colors, could I thank God for its barrenness as well? Would I lift my eyes from the mess at my feet to see the hope? 

I don't know what wind has blown into your life lately...but is it possible that the wind that is "messing with" your plans may also be bringing blessings and hope you have not seen. Though it seems that all is crashing around you....look up. Your strength and hope are there. You can not see them, just like you can't see the wind. But just like the wind, you can feel it and know He is there.

This Thanksgiving, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of cooking, cleaning, and holiday activities, may you feel the cool wind of His presence and know that He is there. That is something we can truly be thankful for.

 

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG)

^16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash

Just quit

That voice...the one that whispers in your head, "Just quit". 

It's always a whisper - anything else and you might recognize the voice. It's a familiar one... " just quit."

It continues on...that whisper. "No one notices. No one cares. Who do you think you are to try this? It won't make a difference."

That whisper. It drains you. And it seems impossible to make it go away.

So instead of making it go away, add to the words. Add the word "don't" and turn it all around.

When the whisper says "Just quit," quietly add the word "don't...just DON'T quit."

Even if no one notices - just don't quit.

Even if no one cares - just don't quit.

Even if it doesn't seem like it makes a difference - just don't quit.

Slowly the voice of your enemy will fade and in its place, you will begin to hear the voice of the great cloud of witnesses who are cheering you on. "Just don't quit! You can do this. What you do matters." 

The enemy only wins if we listen to him. The enemy is the only one who benefits if we quit.

But those who benefit if we don't quit - those are too many to count.

So when the whisper comes - "just quit," come back by adding one little word. 

Just. Don't. Quit. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1 

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash