24 Nov, 2010
Because It's More Than Just Words
Overworked Mom Gets Attitude, Not Help
Dear Abby: I spent last Thanksgiving weekend with tears streaming down my face. Both my adult daughters spent the holiday with us. I served dinner to more than 20 people and got no help cleaning up until Friday morning when I had a meltdown and demanded some. Then my older daughter said, "Sorry," in a sarcastic tone, and my younger daughter responded with, "Anybody mind if I take a shower now?" (My husband works third shift and helps me as much as he can.)
I spent all that day loading and unloading the dishwasher, and putting things back where they belong. My daughters spent the day shopping, visiting friends and watching TV. I have spent my life trying to make holidays special for my daughters so they would have happy childhood memories. All my hard work seems to have backfired. Instead of wanting to participate in making these memories happen, they have developed a sense of entitlement - as if I am obligated to do everything.
(Read the full letter and response at www.amarillo.com, Nov. 24, 2008)
How are you entering your thanksgiving holiday? Are you thankful for what your family does for you? Are you eager to pitch in and make the experience the best it can be for everyone? Most importantly, are you thankful to God for who he is and what he has done in your life?
Psalm 100 (The Message)
A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
What does today's story and God's Story scripture teach us about having and showing a thankful heart?
I love this translation of what is known as the "Thanksgiving Psalm." The Hebrew name for God, Yahweh, or Jehovah was the most sacred name for God. If we took the time to stop and recognize him for who he really is, we would never take Him for granted (the way so many of us do our moms!), or say "sorry" in a sarcastic tone when He asks us to do something. Instead we would:
• give Him a standing ovation (vs. 1)
• laugh - life is FUN! (vs. 2)
• sing out our praise (vs. 2)
• know this: HE is God, and we aren't! (vs. 3)
• start our prayers with "thank you" (vs. 4)
• be "at home" when we praise God (vs. 4)
• remember that God is amazing (vs. 5)
How can i connect today's story and God's Story scripture to my life?
How about you? Are you ready to put some THANKS into your Thanksgiving, and into your life? Would starting every prayer with "thanks" help you appreciate what you have more, and give you a better perspective on the challenges God has put before you? I love the idea of "enter[ing] with the password: 'thank you.'" What if, every time you forgot to start your prayer with thanks, God interrupted and asked, "Password?"
Sometimes I think we are guilty of approaching God with an attitude of entitlement, much like the daughters in the "Dear Abby" letter; we feel like God is somehow obligated to give us what we want. While we feel at home being waited on, the Psalm tells us to "make yourselves at home, talking praise."
As you visit and celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and friends, and you reflect on the things for which you are thankful, remember to give praise to the One to whom all praise is due. Enter with the password, "thank you," then settle in, and make yourself at home praising God.
How can I connect today's story, God's Story, and my story to others?
We live in uncertain times. The headlines are far more negative than positive. Despite all that we have here in the United States, there are very few news articles about our countless blessings, and you'll be hard-pressed to find any that give God the glory and praise! It's like a breath of fresh air when you hear a story of someone who is willing to go all-out to say thanks to another person for what they've done, or to find out that people are "paying it forward." Imagine how influential you can be in the lives of those around you if you are often heard speaking words of thanksgiving and praise, rather than the typical words of discouragment and negativity.
Being positive can be very contagious. Decide today to be a positive influence in those around you, reminding them of all they have to be thankful for. Take every opportunity to share what God is doing in your life as well as all the ways He is so worthy of praise! As you do, your friends will be attracted to the Jesus you follow, and, Lord willing, they will decide to follow Jesus themselves, giving you great reason to celebrate and give thanks to God!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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