Spending Thanksgiving in a different country is weird. I thought that I was going to be homesick on that day because it was not going to feel like typical thanksgiving. But I think this year I learned what it truly means to be thankful on Thanksgiving. My team started off our day by serving at Dunamis. We dug trenches and transported cement with wheelbarrows up and down hills. We left ministry sore and tired and came home to the smell of turkey. Our squad had decided that we were going to try and have a traditional Thanksgiving meal, or as close to one that we could with the foods we could find in Ecuador. Our hosts were gracious enough to cook a turkey for us, and each team supplied all the side dishes. So we came home, showered and immediately started cooking our side dishes. My team was supplying the gravy, mashed potatoes, and two pies, Chocolate and Apple. We wanted to do pumpkin but we could not find pumpkin anywhere. The plan was to eat at 7:30, but as with all things in South America we started late; we didn’t start eating till almost 9. So I don’t know if the food tasted particularly good this year because we were so hungry or if it was truly delicious, but either way I was thankful. During dinner we went around the table and all said things we were thankful for. It was a sweet time communicating what we were truly thankful for in this season of being away from all our comforts and families.
This season got me thinking a lot about what it truly means to be thankful with our whole being. I know that I tend to lean on verbal communication or language to show thankfulness, but what if there is more to thankfulness than just saying thank you? It got me thinking about ways we show thankfulness without words. Dancing when no one is watching. Singing at the top of our lungs when our favorite song comes on. Burping and rubbing our tummies after a satisfying meal where we feel full. Stretching up and out when we first wake up in the morning. Sitting in stillness and awe when you reach the mountaintop to take in the splendid view. Holding hands or sitting close to someone when you want to show them affection. Smiling when you make random eye contact with a stranger. What if all these things that feel normal are really physical reactions of thankfulness in everyday life?
What if the Lord built these things into our lives to give himself thanks in what feels mundane or normal to us? It makes me think about the purpose of my life. The Lord created me for his glory and to worship him. I feel like this is what David did, and the Lord called him a man after his own heart. So if I am to be a woman after His own heart, I will dance for my God. I will be okay with worshiping him at the top of my lungs not caring about what I sound like to others. I will burp and rub my tummy after being filled with the word of God and sitting in His presence at the table. I will sit in awe of the splendor of His creation no matter if I am on the mountain top or in the valley. I will see the random eye contact with a stranger as a divine appointment to show that person they are valued in the kingdom. I feel like these responses take a little more intentionality but they show thankfulness with my whole beings.
Not all of these responses use words to communicate to my King that I am thankful to be a part of His abundant kingdom. They SHOW HIM. Actions speak louder than words. I wonder if God created these physical responses because He knew that we are forgetful, but he still deserves our gratitude? He built them into our nature to give him glory no matter if we are conscious of it or not. He built them in to help remind us to be grateful. All it takes is for us to give a little more intentional thought into our normal reactions and actions in life and we can give thanks in all things we do. That is mindblowing to me. I have control of if I am living in gratitude or not. It is my choice, but thank the Lord that He knew me better than I know myself and he built in small reminders to help bring me back to gratitude and worship. Thank the Lord for He is good and all his ways are good. I Thank the Lord with my whole being, not just my words. I thank him continually and always. Praise be to the Lord!
