“Let us remember that, as much as has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”
Theodore Roosevelt
As I've watched news coverage over the last few weeks, I have thought a lot about personal and community stewardship. I have no desire to make this a political blog so my comments will be brief, but there has played out in front of us a drama of "have/have not". It is true that there is much inequality and injustice in the world. I don't dispute it and I believe that it breaks God's heart to see how his children treat one another. I believe that there is a higher calling of stewardship and sharing that many of us shirk. I have to wonder how much of the talk of inequality is a large serving of "lip service" which is not followed up or backed up by deeds.
I have been blessed with much. I have a nice home, security from German's job, clothing that meets the weather conditions, food in the larder, a quality education, access to medical care, freedom to worship how I would like, and freedom to speak out against the things I find unjust (to name a few). I can get just as caught up as the next person in comparing what I don't have to those who do, but that gets me nowhere. Any one of the things I do have is more than so many in the world. And I need to be thankful for them. I need to voice that thanks and this week is one that helps us to focus on that.
But our gratitude needs to be poured out in action not merely words. I can say "thank you" to God for giving me a gift of words (you may disagree) but if I never use those words to encourage anyone else they are a wasted gift. I can say "we've been blessed" with job and security, but if I don't share that with others who have less I've missed the point of the blessing. It is not to make me comfortable, it is make me able to comfort those who have need. I can be thankful for freedoms of worship and speech, but if I don't meet with fellow believers to worship or I don't speak out against things that are wrong, the freedoms are empty. I tell my kids all the time I would much rather they show me their love in the way they treat one another than just say the words. Words are easily empty. Action shows our true intent. I believe that God expects the same from me that I expect from my children.
As we enter Thanksgiving (those of you in the US at least), let's focus more on showing our gratitude than on just paying lip service. May our hearts be so full of gratitude that it spills out into how we share and relate to those around us.
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18Tami at The Next Step is our lovely hostess today. Tami, thank you for opening your window of the blogsphere up to us. Please visit her today and be blessed!
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
5 comments:
Oh, MiPa, I was praying for you just this morning and hoped you were doing well.
This is a really fine post and very much what we all need to think about.
God bless you and have a happy Thanksgiving. ...Marsha
Our gratitude does need to be poured out in our actions. We have more to be thankful for than we think and we need to show it more than we do.
Amen.
YES! MiPa is back! And I agree, we show our thankfulness best, when we act on it.
So good to see your name again, friend. Thanks for participating!
Very well said. Reading your post is a great way to begin this weekend--keeping focus on the meaning of our relationship with others.
Blessings to you as you await the arrival of a new little one.
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