What to Give?

Since 2012, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday has been called Giving Tuesday and kicks off the official giving season. 

On this global day of giving (and several days prior), I receive several emails urging me to donate to various organizations and charitable causes. Those appeals make it seem as if the only way to participate in Giving Tuesday is to contribute financially. However, donating money is only one way to give.

My niece wrote this message in the sand. Thank you, Janna!

For example, the Bible repeatedly tells us to give thanks. First and foremost, we are to thank God for all the ways He blesses us day by day and year by year. We can (and should) thank others, too. The person who taught us to read. The friend who calls to see how we're feeling. The person who gives us an unexpected opportunity. The one who helps us catch up on our tasks. The child who picks a flower for us. The shopper with an overflowing cart who notices that ours contains only a few items and says, "You go first." 

They have given to us. One way we can give back to them is by thanking them.  

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV

Count the Gifts!

I love the old song Count Your Blessings, which was written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. and published in 1897. It inspires me to count my blessings, and as I name them one by one, I'm always surprised at what God has done for me. The awareness of His love cheers me, especially on days when more things go wrong than go right.

Several years ago, my daughter gave me a copy of Ann Voskamp's wonderful book One Thousand Gifts. As I eagerly read it and began to list the "gifts" God had given me, my happiness and well-being increased significantly.

For four years, I rarely missed a day listing gifts and thanking Him for them. By the time I'd listed over 4,000 gifts, I slacked off on actually writing down my blessings because by that time the habit of noticing gifts was so well-formed in me that I felt I didn't need to physically list them.

However, if I'm feeling anxious or stressed, I sit down and take a look around. I thank God for the gifts I see, and for eyes with which to see them. I thank Him for the precious people He's placed in my life. I thank Him for the songs and books others have written that encourage me and teach me. Pretty soon, I'm calm and cheerful. Counting my blessings and praising God for His goodness to me has changed me even if my circumstances remain the same. 

Lest We Forget!

When a friend told me she places personal calendars in various places in her house so that she’d be reminded several times daily of where she needed to be—and when—I thought about my own strategies for keeping myself reminded of important things. I’ve synched a calendar on my personal computer with one on my cell phone. I also maintain shopping lists and an “ideas for blog posts” file on my cell phone. But even with such technology at my fingertips, I still use paper reminders. I scribble reminders on Post-it® notes, in notebooks, on 4x6 cards, etc. And whenever I have something really important to remember, I stick little reminder notes near my computer, near my purse, etc. so that I’ll be sure to see them.

Knowing how easy it is to forget important matters, I better understand why the phrase “Beware lest you forget…” is found so often in the Bible, particularly in the book of Deuteronomy. That warning was spoken by Moses as he reminded God’s people to take extra care to not forget the LORD their God once they entered into the good land the LORD their God had given to them. Moses knew, as do we, Dear Reader, how easy it is to forget God when blessings are abundant. Although, we’re quick to turn to Him when we have problems, we’re not as quick to seek Him and thank Him when we’re enjoying the good life. Right?

Perhaps we need to place reminders all around us to thank the LORD for the abundant blessings He has so freely given us and to praise Him for all that He is. After all, we DO need to remind ourselves, as the psalmist did, to “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits… (Psalm 103:2, ESV).

We’ll also benefit from frequently reading Psalm 105:1-5, ESV, which lists ways to bless the Lord:

O give thanks to the LORD; 

call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him; sing praises to him; 

tell of his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name; 

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Seek the LORD and his strength; 

seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done….  

(emphasis added)

Remembering the Righteous

My heart was especially heavy one morning in mid-February because I was missing Mama and Daddy so much. Daddy had died first (March 6th) and Mama almost 29 years later on January 9th. So each year during the weeks surrounding the anniversary dates of their deaths, I feel so sad as I recall what happened around their deaths, how much I miss them, and how "orphaned" I often feel although many years have gone by since they passed away.

Thus, I was very comforted by a verse I read that particular morning: "The memory of the righteous is a blessing" (Proverbs 10:7, ESV). How true!

As I continue to think about my wonderful parents (and other dear ones who have departed this life), I realize anew how blessed I was—and am—for their influence upon my life. Goodness gracious! Even one-line descriptions of those blessings would fill several notebooks. And, as the verse says, even the memory itself is a blessing!

Therefore, I pause often to thank God for these special people, and hope that you, Dear Reader, pause to thank Him for yours.