Attitude of gratitude (part 3 of 3)

The other day, I had a thought that I’m convinced was God speaking to me.  He said, “Gratitude is a choice.”  You see, it’s easy for me to focus on the burdens of life.  Just contemplating another holiday season without my dad is very difficult.  But more than that, the pressures of everyday life can easily overwhelm and discourage me.  It’s easy for me to focus on the acute losses, financial strain, heartache, stress, holiday blues, and the perpetually uncompleted tasks.

I wanted to be vulnerable and honest with you here because I didn’t want you to think, “Kevin is writing about thankfulness.  I guess he has arrived when it comes to gratitude.”  That’s simply not the case.  By speaking of an attitude of gratitude, I’m not setting myself up as this faultless example on the subject.  The reality is I have needed these gratitude themed blogs as much as anyone.

As I said, the Lord seemed to impress to my spirit that, even in the midst of all these difficult circumstances, I was to make the conscious decision to practice gratitude in my life.  Ever since He communicated that to me, I have constantly made the choice, when I see that I have been operating from a mindset of ingratitude, to stop it, and choose instead to operate from a mindset of thankfulness.  This has required constant discipline.

I’ve chosen to share all this with you because I think we have a tendency to focus on what we don’t have, rather than everything that we do have.  The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  I think it is a healthy exercise for all of us – whether it’s November or not – to stop carping, grumbling, fussing, and complaining; instead recall afresh the numerous gifts that God has so graciously given us.  Remember: gratitude is a choice!

Kevin    

Attitude of gratitude (part 2)

Last time, I began a list of items I’m thankful for, each correlating to a letter of the alphabet.  I stopped in the middle, at “M”.  This last half was more difficult than the first, just because of letters like Q and Z.  I had fun though!  Without further ado, let’s resume.

N: Nourishment. I may have surprised you with this one.  Hunger and thirst are very powerful motivations; that’s why I submit that food and water are incredible gifts for which we should be thankful to God to receive.

O: Olfactory sense.  That is, the marvelous gift of the sense of smell.

P: Preaching/Sermons.  Just as food is nourishment for the body, Biblical sermons are nourishment for the soul and spirit.

Q: Quantity of life.  Psalm 139 says that God predetermines the number of our days before even one of them unfolds.  Quantity of life, therefore, is ultimately in God’s hands, and I’m so thankful for this fact.  I’m also grateful for whatever amount of days God has chosen for me.

R: Roam.  According to my thesaurus, some synonyms for “roam” are words like “stroll” “walk” and “traverse”.  I am thankful for the ability to stroll, roam, and walk!

S: Songs/music.  What a gift!  I have found that when I’m discouraged and depressed, it’s helpful to listen to uplifting, edifying music.

T: Taste/touch. That covers the five senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.  I’m appreciative to God for each of them.

U: Unseen realm of Heaven.  It was Greg Laurie who said that whenever a loved one passes away, you begin to live with one foot in the door of Heaven.  He’s right.  I certainly have gripped tighter to the reality of Heaven than ever before since my dad passed away.

V: Vehicle. My car has endured a lot over these years, but it continues to get me from point A to point B.

W: Writing/words.  I love to write.  It is a wonderful gift for me to write in this blog.  Further, when I say “words” I mean the ability to speak.  If you’ve ever temporarily lost your voice due to a sickness, like I have, you know what a wonderful blessing it is to have a voice to speak.

X: (E)xercise.  Here’s another sensational gift!  It’s wonderful to work off the stresses of life by exercising.

Y: Yahweh/Jehovah.  Did I surprise you with this one?  George W. Knight and Rayburn W. Ray in their book “The Illustrated Bible Dictionary” write this regarding their definition of Jehovah: “A translation of Yahweh, a Hebrew word for God in the O.T. [Old Testament] that indicates His eternity and self-existence.  This word is based on a Hebrew verb meaning “to be”; thus, the name “I AM” by which God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).”  No matter what I go through, I am thankful that the eternal God of the universe – Yahweh – is always with me.

Z: Zany moments.  My life can be intense, chaotic, and heavy; I’m thankful for every instance of zany, light, silliness that comes my way.

The grand truth is that even though I’ve listed twenty-six things I’m thankful for, I have only scratched the surface.  There’s so much more that I didn’t mention!  This is not even close to an exhaustive list.  What I’m trying to convey with this is how it’s important to practice thankfulness and gratitude in life. 

To be continued!

Kevin    

Attitude of gratitude (part 1)

In the spirit of this Thanksgiving holiday season, I wanted to present a series of blogs on an attitude of gratitude.  To begin, I wanted to share a list of things that I’m thankful for, from each letter of the alphabet.  Let me just dive right in and you’ll see what I mean.

A: American.  Whether or not your favorite Presidential candidate won in the recent election, it’s still a tremendous blessing to be a citizen of the United States of America.

B: Breath.  Every breath that we breathe is a gift from the hand of God.  While it may be easy to do so, we should never take it for granted.

C: Creation.  Recently, I was driving to work, and the sun was just beginning to rise.  I was treated to one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen.  Everywhere you look, you see the beautiful creation that Almighty God created.

D: Diversion/decompress.  I love to be able to rest, decompress, and recharge after a hard day by watching an old TV show that is a wholesome sitcom.  The sitcom I’m referring to is the delightful diversion of the “Dick Van Dick Show” (I can’t help myself with the alliteration).

   

E: Eyes/ears.  Once again, it’s easy to take the gift of sight and hearing for granted.  I, for one, want to stop and express my gratitude for these incredible blessings.

F: Faith.  Simply put: without my faith in the amazing God of the Bible, I am nothing.

G: Grace (and mercy) of God.  If I didn’t have the grace and mercy of God, I would be sunk.  Praise the Lord for His abounding grace and steadfast mercy to me.

H: Health/healings.  I recently came across the last Thanksgiving list that my dad composed.  One of the things he said he was thankful for was health.  I echo the same sentiment for myself.  Health is a gift that is very fragile.  I’ve been reminded of this many times in my life; I’ve been miraculously healed by God on more than one occasion.

I: Impact and influence of my dad.  I will always be grateful for my dad’s selfless influence and example.  I'm inspired to follow in his footsteps.

J: Job. Thank God for the blessing of a job!

K: Kindness. The word “favor” could also be used here.  I’m blessed with kindness or favor in my sphere of influence.  Whether we are talking about family, friends, coworkers, etc. I am showered with kindness.  Perhaps that’s because I try to be kind in my dealings with others, and because (as the Bible says) you reap what you sow, kindness is given back to me.

L: Laughter.  I hope one of the things that I’m remembered for long after I’m gone is how much I laughed.  Laughter is like a medicine for whatever ails you.

M: Mom.  The Bible says to honor your father and your mother.  Even though my dad is in Heaven now, I continue to honor him.  I also honor my mom.  Further, I consider it a sacred responsibility to take care of her as best as I know how.

To be continued!

Kevin

The epic World Series of 2016

There’s a memorable scene in the movie “Rocky 4”.  Rocky Balboa and his massive opponent, Ivan Draco, have fought for 14 rounds.  The bell rings for the commencement of the 15th and final round; as the two fighters are about to battle again, the announcer asks, “Which one of these two magnificent fighters will still be standing at this end of this round?”  I had the same question when the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians went to Game 7 in a riveting World Series.  It really was two heavyweight fighters that battled toe to toe all the way to the final round.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs on finding a way to win it all!  It’s remarkable to think about how long it has been since the Cubs won the World Series (it was way back in 1908!).  I know Cub fans worldwide are elated for their victory, and they should be.  This was a series where the Cubs faced elimination from Game 5 to Game 7, but they simply refused to quit.  What an example of resolve, grit, and determination!

In sports, the winner is remembered while the runner-up is generally forgotten or perceived as a failure.  This is a real shame.  The Indians should also be commended for their will, perseverance, and heart.  This was a series that featured two evenly matched teams.  Somebody had to lose.

Kevin

Trusting God in the midst of life's surprises

The pilot episode from the TV show “Frasier” has been on my mind of late.  In one scene, a woman calls in to Frasier’s radio show, distraught over the loss of her relationship with her boyfriend.  “I’m a mess,” she says in tears.  “It’s been eight months.  The pain isn’t going away.  I think I’m in mourning or something.”  Frasier answers her with compassion, “Claire, you are in mourning.  But you’re not mourning the loss of your boyfriend; you’re mourning the loss of what you thought your life was going to be.  Let it go.  Things don’t always go as we plan.”  The irony is Frasier was the one who had a dream of what his new life in Seattle was going to be; it differed significantly from anything he could have ever imagined.  It took Frasier the whole episode to be at peace (somewhat) with the unexpected turns in his life.

Frasier, and his dad Martin, dreamed of a certain kind of future, but life circumstances played out very differently for both of them.  I can resonate.  I’ve used this quote before, but I love it and it’s worth repeating.  Barry Allen (A.K.A. the superhero known as “The Flash”) once said, “Everyone secretly thinks they have figured out what their life is going to be like.  But what no one ever considers is that life has its own plans for you, whether you like them or not.  And so you’re left with a choice: you can either embrace the change and move forward, or fight it and be left behind.”

Even though I am not in the same predicament as Frasier’s caller, Claire, Frasier’s words to her still impacted me.  A part of the grieving process for me was the realization that not only would I have to face a future without my dad, but I was also losing what I thought my life was going to look like.  The landscape of my life has changed forever.  I’m in a life chapter that I never could have envisioned.  But I put my hope, trust, and confidence in God and His will for my life.  I say to God what it says in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.”

Kevin

My Presidential election thoughts

I have never in my lifetime seen a Presidential election like this one.  It seems to me like these two candidates not only vehemently disagree with each other, but they also can’t stand being in same room together and having to share the same air.  It’s been so vicious and nasty.  I thought this was highlighted when, in the second debate, the question was asked, “can each of you say something nice about the other?”

There are several comments that I want to make about politics and the election today.  First, I want to encourage everyone to vote.  It is such a precious gift that we in the United States of America have the opportunity to choose our leaders.  Don’t stand on the sidelines.  The other day, I saw a bumper sticker that said something to effect of, “I’m not voting for either candidate.”  While I concede that both candidates have troubling issues, we can’t let that persuade us to give up and not vote at all.  You play the hand you’ve been dealt.  Vote.  Vote your conscience.  Vote for the candidate that most closely lines up with your convictions and values. 

Back in December of 2013, I wrote a blog called “Where is your hope?”  In that blog, I mentioned several examples of where people can put their hope.  I don’t want to rehash the whole blog again here (I’ve included a link if you are inclined to re-read it), but if I were to amend that blog, I would include the arena of politics.  It’s so easy to get swept up in putting all of our hope and trust in our preferred party or candidate getting into the White House.  Psalm 42 gives us excellent advice: “Put your hope in God” (verses 5 and 11).  The old hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

http://kevskorner-kevin.blogspot.com/2013/12/where-is-your-hope.html

The other day, when I was cleaning the dining room at my work, I noticed that someone had left a small pamphlet behind that they obviously didn’t want entitled “Who America Needs”.  It was put out by a ministry called “Moments with the Book.”  I was in full agreement when I read these words: “The main problem we have in America is the same issue which has plagued mankind since the beginning of history – the problem of sin in the human heart.  Despite our best efforts, we will not find the remedy to this problem in any policy or president.  There is only one person who has the answer for sin…He is Jesus the Son of God.”  As I said, it’s important to vote.  But don’t put all of your hope in trust in politics.  Put your hope and trust in the God of the universe who is in complete sovereign control.

Kevin

Reflections on life, loss, and legacy

Before I dive in, let me express a personal word to you.  I am quite frustrated that I’m not able to spend more time writing blogs.  As you see in the sidebar, I have only written 38 blogs this year.  That’s close to my record low of production in this blog (in 2012 I only wrote 41 blogs).  The lack of content doesn’t imply that I don’t care about blogging anymore; I do care.  But I carry a lot of my dad’s responsibilities since his passing.  First and foremost, this includes taking care of my mom.  I wanted to document this fact.  I wanted you to understand my frustration.  With that stated, let’s move on.

One of the interesting components during the grieving process is, at night, you can dream about your dearly departed loved one.  I’m not an expert on dreams, but apparently, the subconscious brain remembers the way life used to be.  I’ve had a few of this particular sort of dream of late.  I was with my dad, spending time with him, as if nothing had happened.  The dream is happy, but when you wake up from such a dream, you remember afresh the present reality of life.  You remember again the magnitude of the loss, and just how drastically the landscape of your life has changed.

While it’s true that my dad is no longer with us (the Bible says, for the believer in Jesus Christ, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord), there is a very real sense that he will never be gone.  Let me try to explain what I mean with a story of something that happened to me at my work at Chick-fil-A:

The other day, I was complimented for the way I took orders on what we call headset; this is the device that we wear to communicate with cars that pull up at the drive-thru speaker.  I was told that I greeted each car as if the customer was my best friend.  I thanked the person and said that I inherited my dad’s radio voice.  At one point in the conversation, this customer commented that it’s not just the voice; it’s also the heart.  She then asked this captivating question: “Did you inherit your dad’s heart?”  My answer, in part, was that my dad was very selfless, and I want to follow in his footsteps.

My dad’s example lives on.  I will strive to follow his unselfish example.   I will strive to live my life selflessly, as he did.  I will strive to follow his legacy of humility, love for others, honorable ethics, integrity, and faith in God.  The saying is “like father, like son.”  Of course, in some cases, a son has to make his own path because the father’s life wasn’t worthy of emulating.  But that’s not the situation here.  In my case, I am honored to take the baton my dad has passed on to me.  Or, as I put it to that dear customer, I want to follow in his footsteps.

Kevin