Dear one,
Not infrequently, no doubt because I need the reminder, I return to the Apostle’s opening thought in his letter to those first Roman believers. Not unlike John Milton, who sought to “justify the ways of God to men,” centuries earlier Paul wrote of humankind: “they did not honor [God] as God or give thanks to him” (Romans 1:21). Presumably steeped in the thought forms of Adam and Eve’s rebellion (i.e. Genesis 3:1-19) and the lessons gleaned from nature (i.e. The Wisdom of Solomon, 12-14), Paul underscored our human tendency to dishonor others even as we tend not to give thanks to or for them. Although I am feigned to admit, too often I find that my imagination becomes subject to the droning of two voices: the one voice is critical and disparaging of others, whereas the other voice dismisses as trivial any goodness or favor I have received from those I readily disparage. Quite simply: I do not honor or give thanks, but most especially, I am not thankful.
Predictably, my heeding these voices leads me upon a path spiraling ever-downward into emotional regions ever-darkening. Like a noxious gas, gloom and doom become pervasive within me, until, gasping for fresh air, I recall Paul’s observation, only then to ask: “When last did you give thanks, Stan?” Or, as the 1897 hymn instructs, “When last, Stan, did you count your blessings, naming them one by one?”
Ah, when last?
Predictably, when I do as these questions encourage, I soon rediscover that the toxic voices retreat into feint murmurs, and that light begins to permeate heart, mind, and body. With a sigh, I begin to relax, feeling and thinking with greater peace and hope. However, I am also reminded that this “giving thanks” is not simply a psychological technique—although my psyche is engaged; rather, it is to be a way of living, for I believe that, as those created in God’s image (imago dei), fundamental to that image is giving. We were created to give thanks, and when we do, we are thank-full, and thereby propelled to give, to enrich, or to bless the lives of others—including our blessing God.
Yesterday was our American Thanksgiving, and although I know that my/our material blessings far out-strip those of some six billion, who inhabit our global village, the blessings I counted most highly were relational—the people like you, who share in my ramblings of heart and mind. Thank you for reading.
Gratefully,
Stan
Remembering ...