Sunday, November 19, 2000
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Sunday, November 19, 2000 |
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Sometimes saying 'thanks' slips our minds By DAVID L. CHANCEY Someone has said that memory is the faculty that helps you give to someone most of your ZIP code. It's that faculty that reminds us that we've probably forgotten something, whatever it was. Most of us can relate to the old guy who honestly admitted "three things indicate I'm getting old. The first is loss of memory. The second is, uh-h-h, I can't remember the next two things." There was an absent-minded college professor who was always forgetting things. One morning his wife met him at the door to say "good-bye" and reminded him, "Honey, today is the day we are moving to our new house. When you come home, don't come to this house, but go to our new house on the next street." The professor laughed and said, "I wouldn't forget something like that." But he got caught up in the business of the day teaching classes, counseling with students, preparing lesson plans, and going to faculty committee meetings. When it was time to go home, he forgot and went to the wrong house. He opened the door and all his furniture was gone. Then he remembered he had moved, but he couldn't remember his new address. He turned and walked outside just as a little boy was pedalling up the sidewalk on his bike. "Hey, little boy," the professor called out. "Did you know the people who used to live here?" "Yes sir, I did," he replied. "Do you happen to know where they moved?" "Yes sir, I do. Momma said you'd forget, and she sent me to bring you home!" I wonder why we are so forgetful about so many important things. We forget simple courtesies like saying "please" and "thank you." We forget to follow up on that person who is struggling after they asked us to pray for them. Sometimes we forget to be sensitive to other's lives because we are so caught up in our own little world. Sometimes we forget God. He commands us to set aside Sunday as a day of worship and rest, and we forget. We forget it is God who gives us our wealth and meets our needs. We think we do that ourselves. We forget that it is God who directs our paths when we trust in Him. We think we arrived at where we are in life by way of our own smarts. Sometimes we forget to say "thank you" to God. We're like the little boy who came home from the birthday party, and his mom asked him, "How was Kevin's party?" "It was great!" he replied enthusiastically. He told her about the games they played, the presents Kevin received, and the refreshments they enjoyed. "Sounds like a great party. Did you remember to say 'thanks'?" "Well," he said, "I was going to. But when I was in line at the door to leave, the girl in front of me said, 'thank you' to his mom, and the mom said, 'don't mention it', so I didn't!" Have you thanked God lately for His many blessings He has given to you and your family? Saying thanks with a grateful heart recognizes that God is the source of all blessings, both physically and spiritually. Saying thanks reminds us that we are totally dependent upon him. Jerry Bridges in "The Practice of Godliness" points out several purposes of thanksgiving. The primary purpose of giving thanks, he writes, is to acknowlege God's goodness and to honor Him (Ps. 50:23, 106:1, 2). As thanksgiving promotes the glory of God, it also prompts humility within us. The humble person never takes credit for what God has granted to us. God is truly the great giver. Thanksgiving also stimulates our faith. In Psalm 50:14, 15, God connects thanks offerings with calling on Him in a day of trouble. Remembering how God worked in the past reminds us that God is still working in the present. We need to trust Him and let him work. Finally, Bridges writes, thanksgiving promotes contentment. Instead of yearning for things we don't have, we must learn to be content with what we do have. Contentment and thanksgiving go hand-in-hand and strengthen each other. Have you remembered to thank God lately?
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