October 7, 2010 - Colossians 3:15 - Be thankful

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful."

It was not easy deciding on a verse this morning. Especially in this letter of St. Paul to the Colossians. There is a LOT in here! But in the end, I had to choose this one. Why? Because of the last sentence.

"And be thankful."

As you know, it's been a rough summer. I fell down the rabbit hole and had a heck of a time climbing back out. Which is where God comes in. And where being thankful comes in.

When I look at my life, I have much to be thankful for. God continues to care for me. He is opening the appropriate doors for me. He is screwing my head back on straight so that I can make decisions with it, instead of running about in all directions, wringing my hands, and crying "what do I do?" That alone is enough to be thankful for.

I am thankful, of course, for the usual things, the tangible things: a place to live, my health, my family and friends, my dogs, financial income (small though it may be), my church. And God shines there, of course. But I think where God really shines is in the intangible, those things we cannot see, but only feel and know in our hearts.

God shines in a blessed night's sleep after finally making a decision. He shines in the feeling of peace one gets in church, singing His praises. He shines when we remember and truly know Jesus Christ as our Lord, and not just Someone we read about on Sunday. God shines when we recognize that He is with us every second of every day, and that He watches over us all the time, even when we are being idiots.

It is early morning, and outside my window I hear a bird singing; another blessing. Jasper is lying in his bed beside the computer, perfectly content in his role as "dog." This may be off topic a bit, but I wonder why we cannot be as content in our own roles as simply "God's children?" We climb the corporate ladder, we run about grasping this, that and the other thing. We do, do, do. When do we stop? When do we stop and just pause in our hurried flight through this thing we call life and just take a moment to be thankful for the love of God?

So, this morning, Lord, thank You. Thank You that You love me. Thank you "for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for Your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ." Thank You, Lord. Thank You for family, for friends, for opening the doors I'm supposed to walk through. Thank You for love.

Blessings, Phoenix