Boxing Glove - Thankfulness
There was probably a foot of snow on the ground when I pulled into our driveway with my 3 year old son and a mini-van packed with groceries. I was exhausted from the grocery trip to 3 different stores, managing snow covered roads and a 3 year olds attention. I knew it would take many trips from the car to the house to get all the groceries inside and I was weary, my husband was at work and the older kids were at school. I carried my little boy inside and settled him with a plate of lunch and his favorite cartoon, then bundled up to begin the grocery sojourn with a whine in my heart.
Suddenly under all my layers of clothes I heard Jesus whisper to my weary heart, “Be thankful.” I was mid-whine when I heard the instruction...I sighed, “I am so tired.” Regardless, I looked for something to be thankful for, I was in a ‘mood’ so I struggled for a minute walking outside the door. The bitter cold struck me and I instantly thanked God for my gloves, my hat, my coat, my boots, my layers of clothing. I reached the van and I thanked God that we had that van and remembered how hard Shannon worked to get it for us. I opened the van door and grabbed the first bundle of groceries and thanked God for the cereal boxes and baking supplies. I imagined my kitchen table filled with my kids eating pancakes and my heart warmed, that warmth put strength in my weary legs and I went back outside for the next load.
Ann Voscamp wrote the book, “1000 gifts” and I couldn’t recommend it more! She taught me about Eucharisteo and I have fallen in love with that word. It is a beautiful word with three words inside of it; eucharist means thankfulness, charis means grace, and chara means joy and I have found the order of those words to reveal the map to strength. Strength is important when you are fighting.
I grabbed my second load of groceries on that frigid winter morning so long ago and entered into the presence of God. Literally. “We enter his courts with thanksgiving in our hearts.” Psalm 100:4. My simple chore of earth lifted me right to the heart of God, as I walked back and forth from my kitchen to my van I was swept away in worship, so aware that I wasn’t doing that task alone. When I laid the last grocery bag on the kitchen floor I was in tears of deep gratitude to Jesus and needed to stand there for a minute and just worship him. Eucharisteo did it’s good work for me. I followed the map and walked from thankfulness to grace to joy, and joy opened to strength for the rest of my ordinary day.
I learned that day and a thousand days since, to fight with thankfulness, to break open life with gratitude that the Sun rose and that there is gravity and that Jesus is before all things and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17) I can then fight with correct perspective, aiming at despair and landing a knock-out blow with all the great strength of joy.
So, what are you thankful for right now?
