Showing posts with label
One Thousand Gifts Ann Voskamp.
Show all posts
Showing posts with label
One Thousand Gifts Ann Voskamp.
Show all posts
Psalm 103:1-5
O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When we took the children to church today, we told them that we had “surprises” in the back of the car that we would give them after lunch. They tried to guess what the “surprises” were…but there was no dinosaur or crackers. But there were books and videos – and a new (to them) board game to play. There were also two bags of “Halos” - or as they called them, “baby oranges”! Since this will be a short school week because of the Thanksgiving holidays, the children will have an extended “vacation” at home, and the snacks and videos will no doubt come in handy!
In her book, One Thousand Gifts*, Ann Voskamp talks about her aunt, who traveled the world as an airline attendant. The aunt would visit Voskamp and her children from time to time. The aunt said that of all of the places she had visited…all of the things she had seen…one of the most joyful experiences had been that of rolling a ball back and forth on the floor with Voskamp’s toddler daughter. She wrote Ann Voskamp a letter and told her that she had never seen such happiness in all her travels…that this simple experience had brought her a glimpse of “wild joy” that she would never forget.
Voskamp noted that the secret to such joy lies in perspective. To a child, everything is large and wonderful. As I watch our little nephews and nieces discover new things, I am reminded of how “wonder”-filled the simplest of joys used to be for most of us. As we grow older, we seem to grow blind to many of the blessings that are right before our eyes.
So as we enter this week of Thanksgiving and begin to “count our blessings,” let’s read this scripture passage often and remind ourselves of all that God does for us. Let’s remember that every one of our sins are forgiven…that every one of our diseases are healed. Let’s never forget that Hell is not on our list of places to visit…that a “paradise crown” awaits us – and in the meantime, we wear His crowns of love and mercy. Let’s remind ourselves that we are forever beautiful – and young in God’s presence (which is all that truly matters)! We are clothed in His goodness.
God meets all of our needs…and He peppers our lives with incredible blessings. As we count the more obvious gifts like those listed in this scripture passage...let’s also list some of the “baby oranges” and “videos” that surprise and delight us. Let’s thank God for the friend who showed up right when we needed him/her the most. Let’s be grateful for a foggy, misty Sunday afternoon…or a glorious sunrise or sunset. Let’s When we can thank God for moments when something or someone makes us laugh or smile…and for times when we experience sadness or sorrow – and live through it!
Let’s thank God for smelly socks to wash and a dirty house to clean…for a second job to go to that leaves us dog tired but gives us adequate money to pay the rent…for a boring and/or difficult classes to attend so that we can get a degree or learn a trade and become self-sufficient. Let’s thank Him for caregivers who help us when we are no longer able to do things for ourselves…and for those who have “been there, done that” and can counsel us through the same experiences…for a few minutes spent in the floor rolling a ball to a toddler and listening to him/her squeal with excitement.
Go even deeper and thank God for the beauty of intricate patterns in your pet’s fur…that amazingly unique freckle on your kids’ nose…and the predictably irritating way that your sibling or friend is habitually late. In other words, open your eyes and ears…use ALL of your senses to fully acknowledge God’s presence and blessings in even the most mundane parts of your everyday life - and offer a heartfelt “Thank You!”
A few years ago, there was a trend for some people to say, “Love you – mean it!” – as if those last two words gave credibility to the first two. My challenge for all of us in the days to come is to offer God our gratitude…and to truly mean it! Let’s tell Him - in words and actions - just how much we appreciate all that He does for us…how He blesses us from head to toe. Let’s not miss a single blessing – or a chance to be grateful. How is God blessing YOU these days? Does He know that you appreciate His efforts? Isn’t it time that He did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* One Thousand Gifts ~ ©2010 Ann Morton Voskamp ~ One Zondervan Press ~ www.zondervan.com
1 Chronicles 23:30
Each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing thanks and praise to him.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I am really trying to be more intentionally grateful. Ann Voskamp writes in her book, One Thousand Gifts* that the more we operate in gratitude, the less room we will have in our hearts and minds for other things…like a bad attitude, hatefulness, self-pity or self-loathing, and sinful thoughts of all kinds. She maintains that a heart of gratitude cannot co-exist with these things…at least not for very long.
With this thought in mind, the suggestion offered in this scripture verse to “sing thanks and praise” to the LORD each morning and evening makes perfect sense. Were we to stop for a few minutes at the beginning and end of our day and note a few reasons to be grateful, this might set the tone for the rest of our waking moments. As we learn to operate more in gratitude to God for all that He has done for us, this attitude spills over into other areas of our life…how we interact with other people…what triggers moments of stress…how we react to every situation and circumstance in our day.
We truly owe God more than two times of “intentional gratitude” each day…but it’s a good start. Let’s try this…let’s take just a minute or two each morning and evening to note a handful of things for which we are grateful. This is not the time to talk to God about your worries and concerns...but rather, let’s give God just a couple of minutes twice a day in which we really, truly notice some of the things that He has done for us. Let’s thank Him for some of the ways that He has blessed us…little nuances and gifts that make a difference – but we often take them for granted. Let’s enumerate the oft-unnoticed blessings God presents to us – and thank Him for them.
If we make twice-daily exercises in gratitude a part of our routine, we might just find that they become more prevalent at other times of our day. As we give God glory and praise for all that He has done in our lives, we may start to see Him more clearly in everyday, ordinary experiences. As we practice “intentional gratitude”, we may draw closer to God in ways we never expected. And this is a very good thing. Are you ready and willing to get started? What will you thank Him for first?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* One Thousand Gifts ~ ©2010 Ann Morton Voskamp ~ One Zondervan Press ~ www.zondervan.com
Romans 8:9-11
But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms.
It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I am still in the process of reading/studying Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts**. Voskamp maintains that the core of our relationship with God begins with a heart of gratitude. In fact, she cites another author, Brennan Manning, who wrote Ruthless Truth: The Ragamuffin's Path to God**. Manning says that “The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness.”
So when we think of God living and breathing in us and delivering us from a dead life of sin and all of its burdens and destructiveness, how can we be anything BUT grateful? The greatest gift we will ever receive is Salvation through the blood of Jesus. The best friend and companion we will ever have is the Holy Spirit. The most wonderful, generous, gracious, merciful, loving and forgiving Father we could ever ask for is God Almighty. We are blessed beyond measure! We are loved beyond description! We are rich beyond our wildest dreams! But are we grateful?
Do we fully embrace this tremendous blessing and gift? Are we filled with gratitude for all that God has done for us? Do we really live in a way that demonstrates that God lives and breathes in us and delivered us from a dead life? Are we truly thankful…and does it show? God’s abundant gift of New Life in Christ…His deliverance from the death of sin…His residence in our lives…is available to any and all who welcome Him. But here’s the thing…are we living in a way that makes others want this for themselves?
Do we demonstrate the life of a trusting disciple? Are we filled with gratitude and “life” so abundantly that others say, “I’ll have what he/she has!” in their own lives? Isn’t it time we did? What are you waiting for? What must happen in order for you to fully experience a heart of gratefulness and fully embrace all that God has for you? Will this be the day you begin to find out? Don’t you think it should be?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* One Thousand Gifts ~ ©2010 Ann Morton Voskamp ~ One Zondervan Press ~ www.zondervan.com
**Ruthless Truth: The Ragamuffin's Path to God ~ ©2000 Brennan Manning ~ HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., New York, NY.
Psalm 103:1-5
I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins. He heals me. He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
In the book One Thousand Gifts*, author Ann Voskamp reminds us repeatedly of the importance of gratitude...something she calls "eucharisteo". She makes the point that it's hard to be unhappy when you are busy being grateful...that you can truly draw closer to God by taking note of the blessings all around you than by enumerating your troubles...that the real path to a deeper relationship with God comes from learning to praise Him and express appreciation - even when with every fiber of your being, you don't feel like doing so.
I started making a list of 1,000 gifts or blessings...although I will admit that I have not been as diligent as I should in noting things each day. A few years ago, I read a book called 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life**, written by John Kralik. Over the course of a year, I actually wrote and sent more than 365 "thank-you" notes. I did this as an experiment at first...inspired by this book to be more grateful - and to tell others how they had blessed me. But as I wrote the notes, I began to seek more opportunities to send them. It wasn't a burden, as in "Oh, no...it's day #125, and I don't have anyone to thank!" It was often a case of having several people who deserved a note of appreciation...and I found myself increasingly recognizing opportunities to let someone know how humbled I was by their kindness, concern, assistance, and love.
It's funny how we find it so easy to go to God with our troubles...concerns...needs and desires. But we really spend very little time telling Him how grateful we are for all He does for us. You really should go back and read all of Psalm 103. David has done a beautiful job of listing many ways in which God has blessed and cared for him. He has enumerated many of the LORD's qualities...wisdom, a sympathetic and merciful heart, tenderness, the ability to "forgive and forget", His love and steadfast faithfulness toward us and the promises that He has made.
Like the "365 days of Thank Yous"...I believe that making note (mentally and/or physically) of daily blessings could change our thinking - AND our relationship with God. As we begin to focus more on the thousands of ways that He shows up in our lives each and every minute, we will find that we have less time for sin and the things of this world. When we are busy noting the beauty of fall leaves or the laugh of a child, we don't really have time to bother with what someone said or did (or didn't do), how lonely and neglected we are, or how many burdens and problems we may be facing.
In noting the "gifts" and blessings of our day, we are reminded just how incredible and amazing God's love is for us...and how blessed we are by this. And as our relationship with Him begins to change and deepen in "eucharisteo," we can change our earthly relationships and attitudes as well. Clearly God deserves this kind of attention. And if joy and a strengthened bond with Him are the by-products, then I am all in! What about you?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* One Thousand Gifts ~ ©2010 Ann Morton Voskamp ~ One Zondervan Press ~ www.zondervan.com
** 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life ~ © 2010 John Kralik ~ Hyperion ~ All right reserved.
Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord God
has taken control of me!
The Lord has chosen and sent me
to tell the oppressed
the good news,
to heal the brokenhearted,
and to announce freedom
for prisoners and captives.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
BibleStudyTools.com
defines the word eucharisteo (pronounced yoo-khar-is-teh'-o) as a Greek
verb that means “to be grateful, feel thankful, give thanks”. Author
Ann Voskamp used “eucharisteo” as the theme of her book, One Thousand Gifts.
I am reading this book now and discovering how Voskamp found gratitude
and thanks – and praised God – in even the smallest of things...”clean
sheets smelling like wind...hot oatmeal tasting like home...bare toes in
early light*.”
In this context, we can also find
eucharisteo...we can learn to be grateful to God for His presence in the
seemingly inane moments of our day...as well as those we deem to be
“huge”! In light of this scripture passage from Isaiah, the
“eucharisteo” moment came for me when the prophet says, “The Lord has chosen and sent me...”
Commentaries maintain that Isaiah was talking about himself as a
prophet...OR that this foretells the words of Jesus in Luke 4:18, which
begins...” The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen
me...”
I believe that this verse applies to those of us who are
Disciples of Christ, as well. I don’t mean to sound arrogant – or to
claim that I can literally perform the miracles of Jesus. But aren’t we
called to “tell the oppressed the good news?” Doesn’t God call on us
to minister to others and “heal the brokenhearted?” Aren’t we
commissioned to let others know that freedom is possible from whatever
binds them and holds them captive?
Opportunities for
eucharisteo abound for each of us...but do we recognize them? We say
that the Holy Spirit has taken control of us...but do we demonstrate His
love and care in our own lives? If we were more aware of God’s
presence in the small things of our day, wouldn’t we live with more
purpose and intention? Do you look for the opportunity to serve as
God’s agent as you attend classes, shop for groceries, prepare meals and
feed your children, do your job, care for a loved one, or interact with
family members and friends?
I’m not talking about literally
preaching the Gospel...reciting scriptures...praying aloud...or other
demonstrations we typically consider when we hear the words “witness” or
“ministry”. Your body language and overall attitude and
demeanor...whether you smile at others and appear pleasant and
approachable...your attention to small details...your level of
thoughtfulness - all of these things speak to your character as a
Christian. They represent your “eucharisteo” for all that God has done
for you.
When I reflect on my life, there are times when I wish
I had more fully realized my “mission” and demonstrated it to others. I
wish I had more fully recognized the “ministry” in my responsibilities
as a teacher of young children and “loved on them” even more in the name
of Jesus. I now realize how profoundly He was there with me, using me
to touch these little hearts and minds each day...but oh, how I wish I
had recognized my part in this more. I would have loved a little
deeper, held them a little closer, lingered a little longer over their
stories, pictures, songs, recitations, giggles and tears. In short, I
would have paid closer attention to the small moments and shared in
their savoring and nurture.
For me, this is today’s lesson. God has chosen
us to be His...with intention and purpose. We have a mission to
accomplish for Him...to use the power of the Holy Spirit within us to
share His good news...to heal the brokenhearted by demonstrating His
grace, love, mercy and forgiveness...and to express hope and freedom
from the things that bind and enslave us – through salvation in Jesus
Christ. It’s a tall order...but nothing less than what we should expect
from the One who honored and blessed us with His choosing.
Where
does God want to use you today? Are you living with intention and
purpose...and with “eucharisteo”? Do you recognize your mission and
your ministry? Are you so caught up in the big picture that you have
neglected the smaller things that truly matter? Will this be the day
you begin to change your focus? Are you ready to slow down, pay closer
attention...and give God your very best? Are you ready to get started?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* One Thousand Gifts ~ ©2010 Ann Morton Voskamp ~ One Zondervan Press ~ www.zondervan.com
Titus 3:5
He saved us because
of his mercy,
and not because
of any good things
that we have done.
God washed us by the power
of the Holy Spirit.
He gave us new birth
and a fresh beginning.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“That
which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may
actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this
place to the heart-aching beauty beyond. To Him. To the God whom we
endlessly crave.” – Ann Voskamp ~ One Thousand Gifts*
Today,
we remember the horror and heartache of a tragic event that occurred
thirteen years ago. It’s probably safe to say that all of our lives were
altered forever in some way because of what happened in New York,
Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, during those early morning hours of
September 11, 2001. Through a series of events that can only be
explained as a “God thing,” I became friends with a woman in Massapequa,
New York, whose husband, Keith Glascoe, perished that day while serving
as a firefighter for Ladder Co. 21 of the Fire Department New York
(FDNY). Veronica Glascoe Squef was the mother of two boys, 2-year-old
Nolan and 1-year-old Owen. Baby Keith was, as she puts it, “a little
peanut in my belly.” He would enter this world in April 2002.
If
you are old enough to remember “9-11”, you recall how incredibly
“dirty” everything was. Not only were lives lost...they were buried
beneath tons of dust and rubble. The bodies of many – including Keith
Glascoe - were never recovered. Rescue crews dug for days...cleanup
teams worked for months and years...and we all wondered if the area was
ever going to be “presentable” again. Would we ever “see through the
mess of this place” to heart-aching beauty beyond? Would we ever find
God in this tragedy? Would He be able to truly restore us and
decontaminate our hearts from this event?
Last week, Veronica
posted a photo of her boys on their first day back to school...Nolan now
a high school junior; Owen beginning high school as a freshman; and
Keith starting to middle school. All three boys are healthy, thriving,
and always smiling. Veronica posted a tribute to Keith on her Facebook
wall that said in part...” We love you, we miss you, we think of you
every day, and we will never forget.”
It is important that we
remember what happened...that we are vulnerable... and yes, that bad
things can – and will – happen. But more importantly, we must focus on
the incredible grace, mercy and cleansing power of God Almighty. We
must recognize His presence in the form of the Holy Spirit...guiding us
and “cleaning up the mess” so that we can see the beauty beyond –
because it does exist!
God did not leave us on September 11,
2001...He has not left us today. Whatever you are facing...wherever you
are “sifting through rubble and debris” and wondering if your life will
ever be neat and tidy again...know that God is with you. He is doing the
heavy lifting...the Holy Spirit can mend your broken heart and
strengthen you for the days to come...and the beauty of a brighter day
lies just beyond the “window” of your present struggle. Veronica Squef
and countless others understand the concept of “heart-aching beauty
beyond”. They face it every day in the smiles of children left
behind...of putting one foot in front of the other and rebuilding their
lives – different, but filled with potential.
What God does – and
has done – for those who suffer so much as a result of the events of
9-11, He will surely do for each of us. His desire is to wash away
whatever keeps us from a deep, abiding relationship with Him and a
continual communion with the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter who you
are...where you are...what you have – or don’t...or what you have or
haven’t done...God wants to do this for you. You may not realize it, but
God’s presence and grace may truly be “the very thing that you
endlessly crave.” Are you ready to find out? Will this be the day that
you turn to Him and begin to trust in His cleansing power? Don’t you
think it should?
©2014 Debbie Robus
