Tagged: gratitude

Let them sacrifice thank offerings. Let them talk about what he has done as they sing with joy.  Psalm 107:22 I never thought I’d be thankful for stinky feet. That fateful evening, just before I left the house, he sat on the sofa stretched out long, poking me with his bare feet as he tried to persuade me to let him try a new recipe. Even as I pushed those stinky toes away, I loved them. He was my boy-child growing to manhood, but he would always be my baby. I squeezed those toes and walked out the door, leaving him to create. The next time I saw my child several hours later, he was in the emergency room, fighting for his life. In the… Read More

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!  Philippians 4:4 When I can’t feel my feelings, even in times that should evoke joy, it might be a sign of something deeper going on. Paul can repeat his command two or twenty times, and it won’t get through to a brain that has been anesthetized by pain and sorrow. In long seasons of endurance and suffering, we shut down our emotions to survive. The amygdala, that tiny yet mighty bundle of nuclei deep in the brain, is no favoritist. In times of trauma, all feelings power down—not just the difficult ones, but the happy ones too. A physiological mercy, this enables us to press on through crushing circumstances. But once better days come, when danger… Read More

But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his. Job 12:13 Somewhere along the line, I absorbed an untruth: We must be experts in whatever we are expert in. I still remember the paralysis I experienced during my Clinical Fellowship Year when a patient asked a question for which I didn’t know the answer. I thought to be a good clinician I should know the answers to all my patients’ questions. I was supposed to be an expert now. Wasn’t that why I took that awful exam to become certified? Turns out, with my Certification of Clinical Competence, I should have received another certification: Certification of Lifelong Learning. Learning is the secret to many things, gratitude being merely one. I learned… Read More

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. Psalm 92:1-2 Who knew upside-down cake could be made just about anywhere in the world? The old Wycliffe cookbook on my shelf is ragged and worn. The cover long gone, its pages are stained with olive oil, gritty bits of sugar, and smears of chocolate pudding from the homemade edible finger-paint days. Created for people living in places where convenience cooking is non existent, this little wonder made our lives warm and delicious with the barest ingredients. Upside-down cake was a favorite and could be made in the largest pans to feed the biggest… Read More

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8 Ever feel like your life is a movie, maybe a blockbuster, maybe B-rated, but an epic tale nonetheless with an original soundtrack narrating the minutes and the hours? The soundtrack tells a story, sometimes before the story can be seen on-screen. Today I stood on the balcony just beyond my writing desk and listened for what the soundtrack of my life might be saying.  The base rumbled low, harvest tractors crawling back and forth, back and forth, loaded down with piles of juicy grapes. Dissonant tenors struck in minor notes as children kicked a soccer ball around the village square. The… Read More

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 Pumpkin Pie Squares are my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dessert. I’ve made my mom’s recipe in every country I’ve ever lived, and they always remind me of family gatherings in warm sweaters, cozy cups of coffee, and full-to-bursting afternoons watching football even though I don’t understand it. That’s just what we do back home. This year I find myself again in a land of no Thanksgiving. It’s harvest season and the vineyards shout out in shades of purple, red, orange and yellow. But whoever heard of grapes at Thanksgiving? (I’m sorry if grapes are your favorite Thanksgiving treat.) There are a few pumpkins around, but I’m not sure… Read More

I have watched as a loved one recovers from the devastation of third-degree burns. Beneath the anguish, behind the suffering, lies a lesson in gratitude for what I cannot see. Sometimes the most profound truths are revealed through the severest sorrows. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians 15:57 Is it possible to have gratitude for what I cannot see?  There are times when healing begins so deep it cannot be seen for a time. Such times in life can be agonizing. Such times require much patience and trust. According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, “Third-degree burns damage or completely destroy both layers of skin including hair follicles and sweat glands and… Read More

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:9).Isaiah 41:9 …For I have chosen you and have not thrown you away.Isaiah 41:9b, NLT About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.Acts 16:25 The verse they inscribed in my book was Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. They certainly lived this verse. In fact, they demonstrated its primacy in their hearts by risking their… Read More

…I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him (2 Timothy 1:12, NRSV). What if he doesn’t come back?  I tried to swat the harassing thought away like a wasp, knowing it had the power to hurt me if I allowed it to alight. Do you know where the passport file is? Yes. There are three currencies inside, and enough money for plane tickets if you need them. The contact list is there as well. Remember, just follow the plan and it will help you navigate whatever happens. I boosted the baby higher… Read More

It was under unique circumstances I learned one of my life's greatest lessons of gratitude. The voices of the congregation rose sweet and pure, purer than I’d ever heard in my life. Our tremulous faith, tender yet mighty, was transmitted in song like a desperate, beautiful sonnet brought to the Savior by love so fierce it seemed it might shatter the vessels which bore it.  I held my baby close to my heart as my husband and I gripped the hands of our toddler and young son. The children seemed to understand that today was a day for seriousness, and with angelic faces, they watched us intently. The walk to church along cobbled streets and broken roads had been quiet and brisk that morning. The… Read More