Be thankful

One day, the famous Bible scholar Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was attacked by a thief who stole his wallet. That evening he wrote these words in his diary.

“Lord you have taught us to be thankful in all things. Today I was robbed. I am grateful for that experience for four reasons. First, I am thankful because it was the first time I have been robbed. Second, though he took my wallet, he did not take my life. Third, though he took all my money, it wasn’t very much money. Fourth, I thank you because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”

How did Mr. Henry adopt and practice this life-enhancing attitude? I suspect that for most of his life, Mr. Henry took seriously and lived 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Thankfulness is an antidote for unhealthy and troubling thoughts and emotions. When you’re struggling with feelings like frustration, envy, hurt, or aloneness, take a moment to recount your blessings, and gratitude will help take the sting out of the painful emotions. Consistently and continually, live a life of gratitude and eventually your thinking and feeling will be recalibrated. Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out. 

Thankfulness is an attitude but it takes on special meaning when it is expressed. Keep a gratitude journal in which you write about things for which you are grateful. Send a gratitude letter or email to someone and express thankfulness for their influence on your life or a kind deed they did. Make a gratitude visit for the sole purpose of expressing thankfulness to someone. 

Be thankful.

Do you have a sacred place?

On Friday evening, July 19, a four-alarm fire destroyed the 134-year-old Historic Sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Dallas.  I, and thousands of people around the world grieved deeply. For many it was a sacred place.
I professed my faith in Christ in the sanctuary when I was five years old and was baptized there by Dr. Criswell at age six. My family never missed corporate worship services – every Wednesday evening and Sunday mornings and evenings we were there. The church nurtured me for the first 17 years of my life. I was called to the ministry and later ordained there. Mary and I were married in the sanctuary and dedicated our children at the altar. To us, it was a sacred place.
I know that the body of Christ is a spiritual entity, so ultimately physical buildings don’t matter and have no eternal value. But isn’t it wonderful when a physical place becomes a sacred place because of the life-changing, spiritual transactions that take place inside.
I also find spiritual succor and inspiration in St. Paul’s cathedral in London and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Every time I enter these monumental churches the beauty, history, and worship services take me to a transcendent, numinous place and I’m linked to the ancient church. I also feel connected to the sacred when I’m in my vineyard..
How is a sacred place established?
1. The space was created for the glory of God.
2. We’ve had transformative, spiritual experiences in the space.
3. The space is safe, accepting, and available.
How about you? Do you have a sacred place? Click respond and tell me and other readers about it.
Here are before and after pictures of FBC Dallas’s historic sanctuary.

“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” Abraham Lincoln

I often struggle with pre-judging people and then not taking the time to correct my thinking by getting to know them. Last Sunday I had the presence of mind to correct this bad habit, at least for one time. 

While at church, I saw a man sitting in the foyer who looked different from me and I pre-judged him—an unkind and unfounded impression formed in my mind. I quickly recognized my presumptuous thinking and wanted to correct it so I stopped, introduced myself, and engaged with him for about five minutes. I left the conversation thinking, “he and I could become good friends.” I had totally misjudged him.

As humans, our instinct is to quickly form an opinion of others based on the information at hand. Science says we can’t do much about those initial reactions, but we can discipline ourselves to challenge the impulsive assumptions. Abraham Lincoln knew these initial instincts were just hypotheses (I don’t like that person), and that they must be investigated and tested (I must get to know him better). Psychologist Paul Bloom says these snap hypotheses are often justified and even correct, but as rational beings we should constrain our impulses and investigate further.

Several old adages express the same thought: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “Don’t judge someone’s outside by your inside.” The Bible plainly teaches “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

There is an organization in Denmark called The Human Library where you can go to a library and instead of borrowing a book, you borrow a person. That person sits with you and tells you about their life. It’s an opportunity to understand another person’s perspective and life experience. What a great idea: a judgment buster.

Think of someone you might have misjudged and take the initiative and time to get to know him better. 

Someday I won’t be able to do this. Today is not that day.

Several months ago, Mary and I were in Santiago Chili, where we met an intriguing middle-aged woman at dinner. She had just hiked through the Atacama Desert (a barren, desert plateau located off the Pacific coast of South America). She had a local guide for much of the excursion, but at times she was alone.

We were intrigued by her courage and zest for life. She has climbed mountains in Nepal, trekked through the Amazon Rain Forest, and crossed the Sahara. Every year, she uses her vacation time to explore exotic areas of the world.

When asked why she so aggressively pursues remarkable and difficult goals, she replied “Someday, I won’t be able to do things like this. But today is not that day.”

What a great thought. What a great attitude that prompts us to live an aggressive, fulfilling, and engaged life. This phrase is now etched in my mind and motivates me to carry on and keep my hand on the plow.

We’ve all heard cliches like “you only live once” or “your life is not a dress rehearsal so live it to the fullest.” They may be tired, overused phrases, but they’re true and should motivate us to live life to its fullest. 

Every day we’re getting older and one day we will die. So squeeze everything you can from each day. Identify those things you’ve always longed to do and do them. 

This couple waited too long 🙂