Perhaps you’ve heard the old story of the grandmother who was watching her grandchild playing on the beach one day when a huge wave came and pulled him out to sea. She immediately fell on her knees and prayed, “Please God, save my only grandson. I beg You, bring him back.”  The next moment God answered her prayer with a second big wave that came and washed the boy back up on the beach—as good as new.  The grandmother responded by looking up into Heaven with a frown on her face saying, “He had a hat!”

That’s gratitude for you isn’t it! So many times we are not satisfied with—much less grateful for — God’s provision, especially here in the United States. One thing I noticed in the D.R. is that those impoverished children were always smiling. They had next to nothing—but they were much more satisfied than many of their peers in our country who have so much. Sometimes I think our bounty is more of a bane than a blessing because if we’re not careful having so many things makes it very hard for us to be thankful. Our possessions can blind us to God—the Source of every good and perfect gift.

In 2001, Stephen Post, a medical school professor of bioethics, created a research group called “The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love.” It was dedicated to testing and measuring the effects of love, gratitude, and other positive emotions in human life.

Dr. Post’s research discovered that spending 15 minutes a day focused on things you’re grateful for can have the following effects on your physical health:

• It increases your body’s natural antibodies.
• It expands mental capacity and reduces vulnerability to depression.
• It creates a physiological state of “resonance,” improving your blood pressure and heart rate.

That’s gratitude for you! Not only does it lift up the recipient—it also gives life to the one expressing it. This is why we are told time and time again in Scripture to give thanks. Our Creator knows that a grateful heart puts us in right alignment both with Him and one another.

Paul wrote, “And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:15-17)

This week I encourage you to test the results of Dr. Post’s research by obeying Paul’s admonition. Begin every day by looking for people and things to be thankful for. Take fifteen minutes to compile your list and then express your gratitude to God for His provision.

Keep the SON in your eyes!

If you’re like me you are TIRED—tired of snow-induced power outages, tired of snow, and especially tired of shoveling show—snow you have to throw onto piles higher than your head—heavy, ice-filled snow that the plow comes along and pushes into the entrance of your recently cleared driveway.  Sue and I are nursing sore muscles in places we didn’t even know we had muscles!

 Saturday evening as “Snow-mageddon #1” began to wind down, I looked out my window and saw my next-door neighbor (a fellow Christ-follower) shoveling.  The thing that caught my attention was the fact that he wasn’t shoveling his own driveway but rather that of our neighbor across the street—a man who had heart by-pass surgery earlier this year.  As I watched I thought, “Where does he get the energy to do that after shoveling himself out? I’m exhausted!” But the self-less work of my good-Samaritan friend next-door convicted me to follow his example so Sue and I decided to tackle the driveway of our neighbor on the other side, a man who also has a heart condition.

As we “bench-pressed” shovel-full after shovel-full, I noticed something.  My energy level  increased instead of decreased. Plus, the home-owners were very appreciative of our help and between huffings and puffings we enjoyed some great conversation—something our busy lifestyle doesn’t allow in better weather days.

Later, after we had finished and returned home it hit me, “I’m no longer just tired. I’m GOOD and tired.” I felt great—much better after double-driveway duty than I had felt after completing just our own.  Another thing: my next door neighbor mentioned that the couple across the street, who by the way are not Christians, told him his help made them want to make a donation to his church (they made a connection between the way he selflessly shoveled and his Christian faith).

In my mind this snow adventure highlights Biblical principles (by the way everything in life does—but that’s another Sower article!). Read on and see if you agree with my conclusions:

Principle #1 – We are designed to do the good work of helping others and when we do those good works, we experience a good feeling—a fulfillment that selfishness denies us.  As Ephesians 2:10 puts it, “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do GOOD WORKS which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Principle #2 – When we work in selfless, Christlike ways, it points people to Jesus.  This shouldn’t surprise us because our Lord said this would happen. Do you remember His words in Matthew 5:16? Here’s my paraphrase: “When you let your light shine before men, they will see your GOOD WORKS and praise your Father in Heaven.”

So—get to work, Redlander! We don’t need a “snowmageddon” to find opportunities to get GOOD and tired!

Keep the Son in your eyes!

Let’s say you land a spot on one of my favorite game shows, Jeopardy. The category is “Famous Quotes.” You choose the $100 square which says, “Give me liberty of give me death!” What question goes with that answer?  If you were to say, “Who is Patrick Henry?” — you’d be correct!

But what if you picked the $500 square and it said, “I know of no way of judging the future but by the past?” What question would go with that one? Which famous quoter said that? Believe it or not—your first response would still be correct. Patrick Henry uttered these words as well.  And—most of us would agree with this famous patriot’s perspective. His lesser known quote has a ring of good common sense.

However—we must take care. Henry’s axiom might be true when applied to politics or history or investment strategies, but it provides a poor foundation indeed when it comes to developing Godly relationships since it doesn’t reflect the way our Heavenly Father relates to us. The Bible proclaims the glorious news that God’s blessings aren’t predicated on our past. Do you remember what another “famous quoter,” the prophet Jeremiah said? “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

God doesn’t judge the potential of our today or our tomorrow by our yesterday. He didn’t do it with David or Moses or Peter or Paul or countless other Bible characters—and He doesn’t do it with you and me. Psalm 103:10-12 says, “God does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities—for as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

As Christians a great way to start every day is by thanking God for His compassionate mercies—and the clean slate that comes with them. We must remember that every morning we can ask for and receive God’s forgiveness—and His power to start again—as we join Him in His work, all the time striving to become more and more like His Son.

This principle is also a good way to start the day with others. Conscious of our own dependence on God’s grace, we should believe in the potential of spouses, children, and friends, knowing that, thanks to Jesus—we mustn’t judge anyone’s future by their past.

Keep the SON in your eyes!