6 So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. 7 Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.
Reflection
We want to teach our children to say thank you for things they receive and for kindnesses. That is a basic rule that most of us follow – saying please and thank you – and we teach children at a very early age to do just that. This verse reminds us that we should be teaching those things. We should be rooted deep in Jesus and be working on building our faith, but that all starts with gratitude for the very fact that God gave us life, and Jesus gave his life for us. Those are the core beliefs we hold as Christians, but are we remembering to be thankful in the midst of our daily life when things can be difficult? When I am working with children day to day, their parents may say ‘’tell Janet thank you for coming.” I always tease the parents and say that their kiddos are thinking “thanks for nothing” because the work we do is hard. If you have ever had to have physical therapy for anything, you know what I’m talking about – and to top it off, babies don’t know that what we are doing is going to help them. They just know that it doesn’t feel good and is scary when I put them in new positions like standing for the first time.
I had a very special family on my caseload about 11 years ago. I started working with their son when he was just a couple of months old. He had some complications prior to and during his birth, and he has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. He was a kiddo that was very fussy with activities, but his parents bought into the fact that he was going to have to work really hard to get stuff done and to reach his full potential, so they pushed him and allowed me to push him as well. They always were so very appreciative and expected their son to be appreciative as well. They have treasured every milestone, and by the time he was 3, he was walking with an assistive device. He has since gone through major surgeries and rehab, and is able to walk independently, but is losing some skills so he is set to have another intensive surgery and rehab after. We have stayed close through the years, they have added to their family, and they are very involved in the community trying to make things better for kids of all abilities. They are grateful for all God has blessed them with and continue to help others because of it.
Here in Indiana PA – hometown of Jimmy Stewart – our Christmas celebration (“It’s a Wonderful Life Festival”) lasts all season long. In the movie, George Bailey has big dreams, but for reasons out of his control and due to his generosity of spirit, those dreams never come to fruition. Instead, he is forced to stay in his small hometown running the small Building and Loan business his father started. When a terrible error happens, he feels it would have been better if he was never born, but his Angel Clarence shows him that through all of the big and small ways he has helped others, he really has lived a wonderful life, and his friends and neighbors show him their gratitude by helping him when he really needs it.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
When do we remember to show gratitude – to God, to others? Even in the midst of hard things, are we remembering to thank those who show kindness to us or who help us in some way? Let’s continue to be thankful and to say thank you to those around us who help in big and small ways.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life for us. Help us to help others as we can, and we may always remember to say thank you to you and to those around us who offer kindness. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
