I don't usually fire off quick posts like this, but it's one of those days. We're approaching the Thanksgiving holiday in my country. It's a time for family togetherness, for giving thanks to God for what we have, and general jollity.
There's an element of thanksgiving that I don't think we always get. Two unwitting people underlined it to me. I won't identify them, and there's nothing embarrassing about what I'll tell, don't worry.
My daughter had not been feeling well. Nor had a lady I was going to visit. The daughter was resting at home. The lady I was going to visit was in the hospital. I think something like "Hello" came out of the mouth of the lady in the hospital when I walked into the room. Know what was next? "How is your daughter?" Something seemed odd here. I was coming to the hospital to bring comfort to someone who needed to be in the hospital. She wasn't well. Her first expressed concern to me was about one of my family members. May the Lord grant that I may have such care and concern about my brothers and sisters in Christ.
The other experience happened in a nursing home. It isn't uncommon for people to have a roommate in the facilities in this area. Sometimes roommates change rather quickly. I had been to visit a person not long ago and had met her roommate, who I found out went to another local church, one we are in fellowship with. Today after visiting with both people in the room, bringing them Scripture, prayers, and communion, the person from my congregation said, "Thank you for welcoming and caring for my friends." Again, may the Lord grant that we would care about the friends of our friends.
I give thanks for the experiences I have every day, those interactions that, often quietly, teach me how my Savior has had mercy upon me and can use me to bring his grace to this world. Especially I see that while I was not in God's family, he cared about me enough to call me to himself, to love me, even to give his life for me. This is reason for thanksgiving.
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