|
|
|
A Grateful Life |
 |
|
Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 1/23/2012 11:45 AM | A friend of mine once said, “There is nothing quite so OVER, as Christmas!” She was right. We spend all of Advent leading up to Christmas. All around us the anticipation builds and the excitement reaches a fever pitch. The day comes, we celebrate, we praise God, we gather with family and friends, and then it’s over. Really, really, over.
Well, at least that’s what it feels like.
What we too often celebrate as the culmination of a busy season of plans and waiting, really should be celebrated as the beginning of a wondrous time of awe. Because the events of Christmas are nothing short of awe inspiring, but in and of itself, the birth of Christ is simply the start of things. It sends a signal to each and every one of us that God so loved the world that God became incarnate, fully human and fully divine, so that we might come into personal relationship with our creator and live full lives as children of God.
So, the next step is completely up to us. How are we going to keep the awe of the coming of Christ alive every day? How can we celebrate every day as sacred? How can we prepare ourselves to be the people God would have us be? Some of us will do it by making new year’s resolutions to study our Bibles more; to pray more; to take better care of ourselves; to reach out more to other people…and all of those things are great ideas. But I think there is a step before those things come about. That is, to start by seeking every day, in every way, to live a life of gratitude. That is, to wake up every day and give thanks for Christmas. To spend every day committed to celebrating the fact that Christ came to live among us. To walk through our lives seeking out those who need to see the bright shining light of the star of Bethlehem, and do our best to be that light. To give thanks for those who share the journey with us, for the gifts we have been given, for the talents that allow us to glorify God, for the ability to worship freely and openly. To give thanks for the spark of God that inhabits every single one of us and to seek that spark out in every person we meet. To simply be grateful for this God-given life.
When we find ourselves living that life of genuine gratitude, everything changes. Our problems don’t seem so big, our obstacles don’t seem so high, our desires don’t seem so important, and we find that we are more able to live in service to others in small ways and big. Not because that is what we are supposed to do, but because that is what we want to do. Because in God’s economy, gratitude for our blessings leads us to be a blessing to others. And the amazing thing is, the more we step out to be open and available for others, the more blessed we become.
Several years ago, three of us were having lunch with Fred Craddock, and before the meal came, we turned to Fred and asked if he would say grace. He simply said, “Are we grateful?” We all answered “yes”, and he answered, “Well, that’s what it’s all about.”
Christmas is over, but as we move into what the church calls “ordinary time”, my resolution is to be grateful that Christmas came, and comes, and will come again…today, tomorrow and every day. And that is indeed, what it’s all about. | | | Permalink | Trackback |
|
|
 | |