A Different Kind of Thankful

I started my vacation today. I haven't taken one in a while, so I am pretty excited about the down time. I have a list of things I would like to do, and I am sure I will end up doing about half of what I planned. I am really okay with that.

The last few weeks I have been considering this season we are in, Thanksgiving. If you are anything like me, Thanksgiving is the time to consider all the things we are thankful for, as well as a time to feel guilty for all the people of whom we have failed to express our thanks.

It looks something like this, "I am so thankful for my wonderful family, and I feel guilty that I have not shown that as well as I would like to."

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read some of the most seemingly unrealistic advice ever given. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Not only have I struggled to live this out, I imagine if I met someone who does a good job in this area, I would likely find them very annoying.

At least, that is what I used to think.

A person who is seemingly detached from reality, excited about both good and bad circumstances is the kind of person we are much more likely to assume illness as the source, rather than godliness.

That isn't what 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is talking about. For those of us who have ever read verse 18 on its own, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." it seems like an idea removed from reality.

If we look more closely at this passage we may find a different meaning than perhaps we assumed at first glance.

The heart of the passage is three components: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.

Let's slow down a bit and consider what these three statements really mean.

"Rejoice Always" The word rejoice means, to be glad for the grace God has given you. To rejoice, is to celebrate that the Creator of all of creation, loves you, and cares about you and your day. Rejoicing is a response to our wonderful condition. Although life is imperfect, we are perfectly loved by God.

"Pray Continually" The word prayer is a combination of two words. One, to "lean into, or move toward" and Two, "to wish." So literally, to pray, is to lean into, or move toward the wishes, or plans of God. I realize this kind of ruins the idea of prayer being more like a source to have all of your Christmas wishes answered; but I didn't make up the meaning, so don't shoot the messenger.

"Give Thanks in All Circumstances" This does not say "Give Thanks FOR All Circumstances." It says give thanks IN all circumstances. So, you didn't get the promotion, give thanks that you have been blessed with a job. You don't get to go on that dream vacation with your spouse, give thanks that you have been blessed with a spouse. Your kid is acting up in school, give thanks that you have been blessed with a child.  Perhaps your circumstances are harder to process. Maybe you have endured a terrible tragedy, or are afflicted with sickness or pain that is quite difficult to endure; I understand giving thanks in these circumstances is so much harder, but with God and His grace, it is still possible. (If that's where you are, click here to read a previous post that talks about those difficult seasons and circumstances.)


If you are anything like me, these definitions shine light to a different path than what you may have first assumed.

Now the real trick is applying all this.

So in this season of Thanksgiving, let me encourage you to try and approach your circumstances, perhaps with a different attitude.

Rather than focusing on what you have, what you had, or what you never had; try to live out these three simple principles.

Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks.

Celebrate that God loves you, Lean into His plans for your life, and even if it is a difficult season, Remember what you have to be thankful for.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Filling the Gap Between Potential and Success

There are two perspectives I have encountered when talking with people about their observation of other's success or talents. It breaks my heart when I hear either one.

They sound something like this.

"It's not fair, it just seems like they can do anything, and they don't even have to try. Everything in life just goes their way."

or

"I wish I could do things like them. They are so good at so many different things, but I'm not good at anything."

They look at others, and perceive an unfairness of gifts, talents, or success. It is as if God or the Universe loved the one person and thought little of the other.

Before we go any further in this discussion, it needs to be said, there are some people who are just more naturally gifted than others. They learn easier, find success more often, and have a greater number of talents.

That has always been true, and it will always be true.

Please hear me when I say, don't get stuck there.

That doesn't mean only some people have gifts, intelligence, and luck. Everyone has these things, some people just have more.

You can't change that, and neither can I. So let's not waste our time there.

Instead, allow me to share some good news with you.

All of us are given a measure of potential. Every single one of us.

The problem is, many people never do anything with that potential.

I heard it described this way, "Many of us have been given hundreds of acres of potential, but we only cultivate the soil of half an acre."

Unfortunately, many people stop where they are, never trying for more, never moving past what is comfortable and easy. They use the excuse, "I will never be like them, so why try?"

It is easy to get stuck on what is typical and allow that to validate our stance of non-effort. Statistics say, that if my parents didn't graduate from college, I am less likely to graduate from college.

If my parents didn't make it, I won't either, so why try?

Well, my parents didn't graduate from college, but my sister is an RN. Why? She chose to till the ground of potential she was given, and now she is reaping the harvest!

You may not see much now, you may not see where this potential can take you, but please don't stay where you are, on the off chance it does not work out.

If you chose to till the ground of potential you can see now, you will find that you have even more than you knew.

When I graduated from High School, I was certain that college, success, or promise would never happen for me. I wasn't a good student, I wasn't very bright, and I didn't see any gifts I had that could be translated to the real world.

I left High School not expecting much, and I lived a couple years with that lack of expectation.

Finally I came into a season where I thought, I may fall flat on my face, but I have to at least try to be more, to do more than this.

It was a scary place to stand. I felt like I was standing on a cliffs edge. I felt like I was jumping off into uncertainty. I might fail, I might wish I never even tried. This hope I was clinging on to, might blow up in my face.

I questioned whether or not it was even worth the risk.

The funny thing is, looking back now, I can see it wasn't a cliff I was standing on, it was a field.

It wasn't about taking a crazy risk; it was about choosing to do the hard work of investing time and energy into my potential.

I am not saying I am a raging success with piles of money and worldwide fame. I am however, doing more than I was.

I am doing things now I never dreamed of doing ten years ago. I chose to till the ground of potential around me, and I was rewarded for my efforts. I also found there was more potential than I saw before, and more ground to till.

Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

God's Word says, you and I have been given all the potential we need, in order to accomplish great things.

So where are you putting the hard work in today, to produce something greater tomorrow? Where are you tilling the soil of potential in your life?

Don't stand back wishing you had what others have. Instead, do the work that is necessary to fill the gap between your potential and the success you will produce.

Dream a Crazy Big Dream

Do you ever slow down long enough to think about your future?

I don't mean imagining what you would do if someone gave you a million dollars. I mean, imagining what your future could look like if you did the work, prepared, and trusted God to open doors.

In a way I am talking about goals; but not normal goals. I am talking about goals that would need a divine touch in order to happen.

Consider this saying, "If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail."

I like how King Solomon says it in Proverbs.

Proverbs 21:5 "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty."

If we don't plan, if we don't set goals, if we don't dream, we will accomplish very little in this life.

For some of us, we get busy with the things in front of us today. So we never slow down long enough to dream and plan for tomorrow.

I think often times the underlying issue is, we are scared to dream, because if it doesn't happen, we will have to deal with feelings of failure.

Many of us are stuck where we are, paralyzed by our fear of failure.

So we avoid setting any goals or embracing any dreams at all, much less setting a large goal or believing an impossible dream.

Here is the problem with that.

You are not a temporary being, and you were never meant to think small and safe.

God has chosen you to reveal His love to others, but He also chose you to reveal His power and glory.

In Ephesians 3:20, 21 it says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen." 

God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.

If you look closely, it says why He does these great things in and through us.

God moves through us, in divine and supernatural ways, so that others might see His greatness, and be drawn to Him, drawn to Jesus.

Allowing God to do great things in your life, isn't really about you. It's about God being glorified through you.

So here is my challenge to you.

Below this post is a Comment Section.

I want you to go public with your crazy big dream!

Post something that you believe God has planted in your heart, something so big, that seems as if it could never come to pass.

Let's talk about out our dreams, and encourage each other as we pursue them.

Not for our fame, our gain, our glory; rather for God's glory to be shown through our lives.