Giving Thanks, a Christmas Adventure – Day Ten

In previous lessons we’ve talked about consecrating a hard moment by acknowledging God in it. The moment becomes holy when we place it on the altar because God moves in us right in the middle of our painful situation. His Presence—this is why we can learn to count the hard thing as a good thing. I want to learn the art of saying grace in and for everything, of Living Thanksgiving on His altar —voluntarily.

I want to thank Him in the hard moments and the easy ones, to acknowledge Him in the tempting moment and the worshipful moment, to live to Him in the light and the dark moments, until there are no moments left that aren’t lived in Him.   

To give thanks in everything always requires giving up something.  It is the very definition of give: To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as in a possession; to grant, as in authority or permission; to yield up, allow, or relinquish.

Giving thanks always requires giving up but sending thanksgiving up never fails to bring glory down. It is as if our yielding makes room for Him in the moment.

We give up our expectations to express gratitude for what is.

We give up our standard of measure to express gratitude for what we have.

We give up our rights to express gratitude for His Lordship.

Indeed, giving thanks always requires giving up, but praise God, I can’t give up without getting back.  I just had a delightful visual of throwing thanksgiving up, having it bless God, and then falling back down all over me. It works in reverse too—if I send out grumblings, I get them back in spades. Again, sending thanksgivings up always brings glory down. I believe the glory and communion found in living thanksgiving is what Paul discovered and why he was able to “be content with whatever circumstances I am in”, Philippians 4.12. I’ve always thought of him as the Great Apostle Paul, but I’ve taken to thinking of him as the Grateful Apostle Paul who learned through thanksgiving how to be content, (pleased or satisfied.)

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