Fall, that time of year for cozy sweaters, pumpkin pies, and Thanksgiving Day, the start of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. From now until the new year we barely have time to breathe, let alone think of things to be grateful for. Too often, instead of thinking of the things that we are grateful for, our minds immediately wander to the things that we don’t have and we wish we did. We say things like, “When I get that big fancy house/new promotion/my health back on track, then I’ll be grateful”. We want God to show up in a big way before we’ll be thankful for anything; but, as Elijah the prophet discovered, the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the quiet whisper in the stillness. It is in the everyday where we encounter the Lord the most - the laughter of a child, a conversation with a friend, even the hard nights when sleep evades us. But in order to understand that, we must slow down and quiet our hearts and minds.
“When I put that energy toward thinking of things to be grateful for, I find there are quite a few”
For our Compass Teaching Nights, we are reading a book by Pastor John Mark Comer called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry; it is all about learning how to live our lives with intentionality. We are only one section into it and already I find that it is helping me tremendously. It is so easy for me to default to complaining about how much pain I’m in and put all my focus on that. But when I put that energy toward thinking of things to be grateful for, I find there are quite a few: a loving family, a wonderful community, and beautiful friends, who I know will be there for me when I need them. This Thanksgiving, let us all take the time to slow down, lean in, and listen to the Voice of Our Father who whispers His Truth into our hearts.
- Danielle, Compass Member