When You Say Grace this Thanksgiving…
We’re talkin’ Turkey this week….You?
Turkey and stuffing….
Mashed potatoes…
Piping hot gravy…
Homemade yeast rolls…
Green beans cooked-to-death in savory-n-salty Kentucky country ham…
Pumpkin pie…
(Someone please tell me there is chocolate, somewhere???)
My favorite children’s book this time of year is The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, because let me tell you, for a lot of years, many relatives came from all over the place. They stayed all over the place. They stayed a very, very, very long time. (I s’pose the three-day fish rule hadn’t been implemented yet.)
My Aunt who started this whole thing is now at Sainthood status in my book. I laugh out loud over the years I balked at trekking to Owensboro for Thanksgiving. My Mother would remind Dad and me that this very well could be my Aunt’s last Thanksgiving. (That was at least fifteen years before she did go to be with the Lord.)
Generally every year is different, tho’, depending on who’s visiting which side of the family. This makes for every year’s uniqueness, and for that, we are all thankful. Seriously. Keeps you guessin’…
This Thanksgiving Week all I want us to do is focus on one simple Scripture. I landed on it in the same devotional I told you about last week, Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are by Shauna Niequist.
Shauna says,
“I absolutely believe that…
Gratitude is a way of life,
a practice as opposed to a feeling,
and I want to be the kind of person who chooses to be grateful for what is, instead of angry about what isn’t.” Wow! Let that soak in for a few seconds…
Here’s the verse I want us to chew on all Thanksgiving Week:
Colossians 4:2 in the NIV says:
“Devote yourselves to prayer,
being watchful
and thankful.”
The NLT expounds on watchful and thankful suggesting we pray “with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition doles out a specific prescription:
“Be persistent
and unwearied
and steadfast in your prayer life,
being both alert
and intent in your praying with thanksgiving.”
These adjectives are some kind of magnanimous marching papers!!! Park on them for a few minutes! Here’s my summary: Never give up praying…And while you’re at it, be happy while praying!!!
Phillips’ version and the ESV suggest an ongoing lifestyle of prayer: “Always maintain the habit of prayer: be both alert and thankful as you pray.” (Phillips)
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (ESV)
The Message is bottom line:
“Pray diligently.
Stay alert,
with your eyes wide open in gratitude.”
May we all meditate on these six versions of Colossians 4:2…Try taking one per day of Thanksgiving Week. My prayer is we’ll all be more grateful, even for the little things this Thanksgiving Holiday.
Blessings to all and may you find some chocolate somewhere….
‘Til next time!
P.S. My good buddy Liz Curtis Higgs taught me how to look at several versions of the Bible at once. It really helps in your understanding of God’s Word. Here’s her tip:
Go to: www.biblegateway.com
Type in your Scripture you wish to study. (To see all the versions, it can only be one verse.)
In this example from our post, try typing in “Colossians 4:2” and hit “Search”.
Underneath where the Scripture is, there’s a neat little phrase that says, “Colossians 4:2 in all English translations” Click on that, and voila!!!
All the versions will show and if you don’t know the abbreviations, keep scrolling down and they’ll be spelled out for you. It’s the BEST!!!!
Give it a whirl….