Thanks-receiving - I’m not sure whether Mr. Webster would agree with this or not but, in my mind at least, being thankful and being grateful are two different things. Let me explain. I was thankful for the corn my wife prepared as a part of our dinner a week or so ago and told her thanks for a good dinner. But my gratitude for a partner that knows how much I like corn and is thoughtful and takes the initiative in so many other ways, brought me to not only express my appreciation by doing the dinner dishes but also emptying the dishwasher and putting those dishes away. (which is a challenge for me sometimes because I seldom put things from the dishwasher back where they’re supposed to go and the “hunt” ensues that next time they’re needed) You see, I also know that my wife’s primary love language is acts of service and by serving her in doing something she usually does, gratitude kicked in. Thankfulness, I believe, often stops in the mind or maybe even the step further with the tongue. But gratitude is active, it takes the initiative to show itself. Then, on the other end of an expression of gratitude, someone must be on the receiving end and willing to accept it. And for some, that’s the harder part, in receiving what someone else initiates. It’s a lot like the picture of love and the eternal relationship offered at the cross. We can read about it, envision it, and even believe it happened, but until we receive it, it becomes just another random act of kindness. What stands in the way of that receiving, most often, is the “for me?” part. You mean He did that “for me?” That’s when we’re overwhelmed with thoughts of unworthiness. That’s why a gift given to me never becomes mine until I receive it, because then I have to acknowledge that it’s for me. You see, giving thanks is a lot easier than receiving it. More about that on Sunday. Come and see.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:04:49 +0000
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