A note: This post is a little parentheses in the ‘village chronicles’. During that first year of ministry and of getting our team established in the village in Mali, my health began to visibly deteriorate. In September 2013 I was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer. I was in the last stage and it seemed I would die. I didn’t die and retuned to work in the village 6 months later. Now, nine years later, I’m still here by God’s grace. I’ve learned a few lessons, and I’d like to share one of them here.
I like to think of myself as the eternal optimist. You know, the ‘don’t-worry-be-happy-have-faith-and-everything-will-work-out-just-fine’ kind of person. The problem with that positive self-image is that my behavior doesn’t always line up with it.To be frank, I’m an experienced complainer, but since I know how unwelcome and unpleasant complaining is for the people around me, I try to keep it to myself. So I murmur, I grumble under my breath, and I heave sighs of exasperation when things don’t go my way. Often these ‘things’ are minor irritations, not even worth the breath it takes to heave that sigh.
It’s not that I’ve never read the many biblical admonitions to be thankful, or those very clear warnings against complaining and grumbling. It’s just that ingrained habits are hard to change, even when we want to change them! How fortunate for me that in the fall of 2013, I was given a golden opportunity in the form of some very sobering news: I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, which in my case had already progressed to the third and final stage. News like this is way too big to be handled with childish whining and complaining, which never helps anyone to experience the grace of God – and I needed that grace! Here’s how it came. Instead of fear (although there were occasional moments of fear), or anger, or self-pity, a deep sense of thankfulness began to well up in me – thankfulness that I belong to the Lord, that he is good, that He loves me, and that he is in control of a situation that is beyond my ability to fix.
The sheer number of people who began pray for me was not only encouraging, it was extremely humbling. After all, who am I to merit so much love and attention? But then that’s grace – the kindness and favor of God that we could never earn. Over the weeks and months of doctor visits and chemotherapy sessions, I gained a deeper appreciation for simple, daily gifts of grace, – like the energy to prepare a meal or rake leaves in the backyard – and a deeper perspective on being thankful. That’s what I want to share with you here.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
The second part of this simple refrain – His love endures forever – is repeated in each of the twenty-six verses of Psalm 136. Maybe with the original music it was just too irresistible, like the ‘hook’ in a good pop song that sticks in your head all day and won’t quit. It might have been! But since Scripture is divinely inspired, whatever the artistic reasons of the psalmist, it seems obvious that the Author behind the artist wanted us to learn something, and learn it well! For some of us, the song has to be accompanied by a life-altering event before the message sinks in, but the Lord is a patient and persistent teacher…
Learning to say ‘Grace‘
To ‘say grace’ is a common expression we use in English, meaning to offer a prayer of thanks at the start of a meal. Like most idioms or figures of speech, it doesn’t make much sense if taken literally, but the meaning behind it is fairly obvious. ‘Saying grace’ is a humble acknowledgement that the food in front of us is a sheer gift of God’s grace and not something we deserve as our right, or something we earned without God’s gracious help.
“Now wait just a minute!” you might say. “It was my hard work that put that food on the table, and the roof over our heads too. There’s no hand-out here – I earned every bit of this!” Yes, but that’s not the whole story…
Entitlement is the subtle but destructive enemy of a thankful heart, the very antithesis of grace. It’s the assumption that others, God, or life in general owe me something because I’ve been good, I’ve kept the rules, I’ve worked hard; or because I’ve had a hard time of it, I’ve been wronged somehow, and now I deserve compensation. The Bible is clear, however, that the goodness of God is the ultimate source of every good thing we receive or experience in life. Every good thing that comes to us comes not because we are good, but because He is. Consider these verses:
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God… Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery… You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:11-18, selected verses).
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)
The truth is that life is fragile, we are fragile. Wealth, health and strength, our intellectual ability, our comfortable circumstances – all the things we take for granted – are gifts, not guarantees. They can be gone in a single heartbeat. I knew all this before, but now I know it firsthand. The fact that you have a job, the strength and ability to do that job, as well as the circumstances and events that led you there – all of it is grace. Not one of us is ‘self-made. Entitlement thinking robs us of this perspective; it makes us cranky, peevish and offended with God when the road gets bumpy. And it tends to makes us proud, smug, and insensitive to others when our particular road is smooth and trouble-free.
Nebuchadnezzar is a biblical character who had to learn this lesson the hard way, and you can read about it in the Old Testament book of Daniel, chapter four. Nebuchadnezzar’s accomplishments were stellar. In 605 B.C. while his father was king, he led the Babylonian army in the defeat of both the Egyptian and Assyrian armies at the battle of Carchemish, and the regions of Syria and Phoenicia were added to Babylon’s empire. Becoming Babylon’s king after his father’s death, he continued to enlarge and consolidate the empire, and then turned to an ambitious project of public works that was unrivaled in his day. He had much to be proud of, but he failed to realize how much of his success was due to God’s providence and that ultimately, he was in such a position of power because the ‘God of heaven’ had put him there.
Nebuchadnezzar was warned in a dream to change his attitude, humble himself and acknowledge God’s grace in his life, or risk losing everything. Unfortunately, he didn’t take the warning to heart. Twelve months later, as he was congratulating himself once more on his great achievements, he lost his mind and with it his ability to rule – not to mention his dignity! The details of the story are rather shocking to our modern sensibilities in this politically correct world, where being a ‘nice person’ is the very pinnacle of good character. Would a good God really do something like that to someone!? Apparently He would, and he did; but we should realize that a good God and a ‘nice’ God are not at all the same thing. I’m convinced that God’s intentions are always good, but he’s never been shy about resorting to drastic measures when necessary. The king of Babylon spent the next seven years living literally like an animal, until, in his own words,“I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever…” (Daniel 4:34). In the remainder of his confession, he acknowledges that his power, position and privilege are gifts bestowed by a good and sovereign God. Among the many observations that could be made from this story, one that strikes me is that a grateful heart is essential to a sound mind. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar learned to say ‘grace’ over his circumstances, and so should we.
Learning About Forever
Psalm 136:1 tells us that we can and should give thanks because 1) the Lord is good, and 2) his love endures forever. These are not simply reasons to maintain a thankful heart, they are eternal realities that give us a foundation for continual thanks. A thankful heart has it’s roots in the dependable, unchanging character of God, rather than in circumstances which are always subject to change. Learning more about forever, and those things that are eternal, will set us free to savor the good times without anxiety, and strengthen us to ride out the difficult days with hope and a thankful heart. No matter what is happening in the present, it is passing; and after it has all passed, we’re going to have forever to experience the kindness of God! Consider this passage from Ephesians:
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7)
Exactly why did God ‘raise you up’ and make you part of his family? In order to show off the ‘riches of is grace.’ And how is he going to do that? By showering you with his kindness throughout the coming ages. God has plans to do you good throughout all eternity! Now that’s a reason to be thankful every day of your life.
Even the temporal blessings we receive – those happy events, answers to prayer, financial provision – are more than mere gifts to meet the need of the moment. As well as being gracious gifts, they are signs, intended to turn our focus from the immediate need or crisis to the Love that lasts forever, so that instead of living from crisis to crisis or need to need, we will learn to live in the security of that love. So often I have been guilty of receiving the gift – with short-lived thanks and a measure of relief – and then using it up without ever getting the message: “I am with you, I am for you, and it’s going to be OK!”
One occasion in particular comes to mind. I was a young husband, father, and Bible college student, struggling to make ends meet each month. I had a heavy course load, a part-time job, and traveled on weekends with a ministry team. One Friday afternoon, preparing to leave for another busy weekend, I had to face the fact that our fridge was empty and we had no money to buy food – much less to pay the rent which would be due in another two weeks. Although my wife Cindy tends to remain calm in situations like this, I was stressed to the limit and on the verge of quitting the ministry team then and there. And then there was a knock on the door. Here was an older couple we had never met, smiling uncertainly and holding out a check. “We don’t know you, but the Lord told us to give you this – ” it was a check for twenty-five dollars. The timing could not have been more perfect, nor the message more clear. Did I get it? Well, my face still goes hot with shame when I think about my reaction… Of course I warmly thanked the couple, they went on their way, and I experienced a momentary sense of relief. But on the heels of that relief came this thought: “Well, it’ll buy groceries, but it’s not going to pay the rent.” What an ungrateful jerk!! (Yes, I know that’s what you’re thinking, and you’re right). What was my problem? All I saw was twenty-five dollars, instead of seeing the good God to whom it pointed. I was looking at something that would be quickly used up, without recognizing the faithful love that provided it and that would go on providing. I can be a slow learner, but through that and several other incidents, I started to get it. And for the record, the rent got paid too – that month and every month thereafter.
Learning To Let Go
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
I’ve noticed that so often, just when I think I have life figured out, change happens. It can be frustrating, and sometimes downright scary! But that’s why learning to let go is essential to maintaining a thankful attitude. On this side of eternity we are pilgrims, and hanging on too tightly to what we have, and to the way things are, inevitably leads to resentment and unhappiness. Whether we want it to happen or not, the scenery will change and the furniture of life will get rearranged time and again. Our souls are continually seeking permanence and security. The problem is that the things of this world – be they material or circumstantial – can only give us an illusion of permanence, not the real thing. We have to keep reminding ourselves of the difference between now and Then, between here and There, between the world that is passing away and the Kingdom Which Cannot Be Shaken.
When the winds of change blow and what seemed so solid is suddenly gone like a puff of smoke, we can still be thankful because we are receiving something that is solid, real and that will last forever. That’s hard to do if we’re hanging on to temporary things with a death grip – and that kind of hanging on is what leads to shaking an angry – and empty – fist at God. Better to open our hands, let go, and choose to be thankful because something better is coming. When the cancer diagnosis came, it was my opportunity to let go in a big way, to lay down current activities, future plans and to simply thank God for each day as it came. I really didn’t know how things would turn out. Six months later, the cancer had been quelled and I was in a full remission, but my focus on eternity had been renewed.
Thankfulness is an attitude, a perspective on life that we can choose. The really good news is that it’s not based on wishful thinking, but on eternal realities: The Lord is good, and his love endures forever. And for that I’m eternally grateful.
Know This Love 