An Abundance of Wisdom

I can't believe it.

It feels like just yesterday we were clinking glasses and making resolutions. And today, almost a full month has gone by.

The new year, brimming with hope and possibilities, is already 1/12 over.

Where does the time go?

Each year, I pray about a word to meditate on for the coming year. Last year that word was abundance.

From my vantage point at work, abundance took on many different forms: a garden and a relationship with a local farm that provided healthy food alternatives for hundreds using our food pantry.

The idea of raising chickens as a source of fresh eggs was birthed. We intend to start a flock in the coming months.

Hundreds of volunteers gave of their time, treasure, and talents at events as well as on-going initiatives.

Eleven vehicles were donated out to single moms in need and two of the women from our life skills workshops are now homeowners!

All these blessings show the abundance of God's grace and I was excited to be used in the process.

But I am also the beneficiary of an abundance of God's love and mercy, forgiveness and favor.

I truly want for nothing. A place to live, food to eat, a car to drive, a job I'm passionate about, children I love, friendships I treasure...I am wealthy beyond measure.

And that leads me to my One Word for this next year.

I considered Gratitude long and hard. I want to make sure I always remember God's abundance is a gift never to be taken for granted.

I also prayed about Obedience. I have a stone on my desk that says "Obedience" on one side and "Seek Him in Everything" on the other. I want to stay in His will because life is just too hard when I fight for my own imperfect desires over His master plan for me.

But I think this is the year to meditate on Wisdom. 

Daily I make or influence decisions that have a major impact on other people's lives. It can be a heart-wrenching, difficult process.

That's not an overstatement or dramatization. No one envies me my job because it's hard. Too hard to do based on my own knowledge and leaning on my own experience. I am tasked with being a good steward of funds while being compassionate to those who are hurting. I listen to so many stories of brokenness and need that more than once I've wished I had a degree in counseling or formal experience in social work to be better equipped.

The truth is, what I really require isn't earthly knowledge but wisdom of a divine nature. 

An abundance of wisdom.

While it is a huge part of my existence, work is not the only place wisdom is needed. Every day, just like all of you, I am faced with the choice to utter words that can hurt or heal. To make decisions that can prosper or ruin me. To be foolhardy or wise in a myriad of ways.

I'm not foolish enough to believe that this year every decision made will be a wise one.

But I am praying that I will seek God's wisdom, be obedient to His leading, and be grateful for His answers no matter what.

What are you asking God for this year?

A Heart of Thanksgiving - A Repost

I noticed that suddenly, this particular post from a year ago has been getting a lot of attention.  Perhaps people are doing internet searches on thankfulness.  Whatever the reason, I thought on this Thanksgiving day, this post would be a good one to republish.  Acknowledging our thankfulness is a good thing, but once a year is simply not enough. Thankfulness should be a way of life, not just a holiday or occasion. As you contemplate the things you're thankful for today, consider this...

A few weeks ago I led the first monthly women's prayer group of the fall.  As we went around the room voicing our thoughts, concerns and desires, one woman shared a quote she'd just heard that morning.

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"  

An eternity of silence followed as the weight of the thought rolled around our in brains.

How would you fare?  Would you wake up in a bed?  With a roof over your head?  Would there be food for breakfast?  Lunch?  Dinner?  Clothes on your back?  A car to drive?  A job to go to? 

Forget the possessions for just a minute...would you have family or be the only one around?  Would you have all your senses - smell, sight, hearing, taste...even touch?  A sound mind?  Body?

One person spoke up..."If we did that, we wouldn't ever have time to get around to anything else."  Bingo.  If we spent more time being thankful for what we do have, we'd have less time to petition God for what we think we need.

Don't get me wrong...things go wrong in a fallen world.  People lose their jobs, their health, their loved ones.  There is sorrow and pain, and we need to intercede for others on a daily basis.  Life is not one big feel good love fest by any means.

But...when we start out with a heart of thanksgiving...with praise on our lips...when we learn to appreciate all that we have, we are better able to look at God and not dwell on the problems. 

Like the saying goes, "Don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is."  That's not a trite saying.  It is a powerful truth.  I know.

Right now, my son and I are dealing with several large problems, but our outlooks are completely different.  I don't know how he's come by this way of thinking, but he believes that God is too impersonal to care about the daily needs of two people out of the billions on this planet.  He has actually stated that he "doesn't think we're going to make it through the winter."  Even as we can clearly see the hand of God moving in the situation, my son is overwhelmed by what we appear to lack.

On the other hand, I am completely at peace.  I know I am powerless to deal with the issues at hand and have already given them over to God to deal with.  I am grateful for all I do have, trying not to take any of it for granted. I think on the verses which tell me that caring for me is EXACTLY what my big, yet personal, God does...He saw me formed in my mother's womb, He knows the number of hairs on my head, my name is etched on the palm of His hand, and He died for my sins so that I don't have to live an eternity apart from Him.

Yes, I want to thank God for that last one especially.  Without a grateful, accepting, heart for that sacrifice, it is hard, if not impossible, to be truly grateful for everything else.  

So here's the challenge at the close of this day:  "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?"  Today is drawing to a close...think about it...make a list...voice your thanksgiving and praise before making your requests.  You might just discover there are far fewer things to ask for than you first thought.