No Charge

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV)

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie American Author 

Gratitude just may be THE most important thing about our faith and our lives.  In the passage from Colossians above, we see references to being grateful three times... "be thankful"... "with gratitude"... "giving thanks."  In the quote just below that, the author describes how this simple change of attitude can completely make over our entire lives.

Lately, I have noticed that many of my Facebook friends have been using this month of Thanksgiving to post one thing each day that they are grateful for.  I love reading these.  And I have noticed that none of them mention the expensive things in their lives like their homes, cars, jewely, vacations, etc.  No, we who are truly thankful are thankful for the much more important things in life... mostly relationships.  And isn't that what our lives here on earth are really about?... relationships.

Yesterday's sermon was about gratitude and Pastor Chad pointed out that the things we are most grateful for are usually given by God with "no charge."  We know that the best things in life are free, but adding that little phrase, "no charge," just seems to make my heart even more grateful.

Here is a list of things God has given me in recent days for "no charge.":

• A baby sleeping peacefully in my arms -no charge!
• Big baby smiles from Emma-no charge!
• Cecelia telling me I'm her BFF-no charge!
• A hard-working husband who loves me, loves his family and loves God-no charge!
• Watching my boys become good fathers-no charge!
• Loving relationships with the beautiful women my boys chose to marry-no charge!
• The beauty of the North Carolina mountains in the Fall-no charge!
• Perfectly blue skies-no charge!
• Friends who drive for an hour and a half to be supportive-no charge!
• Amazing church family of folks who embrace truly Christian values of love, grace and non-judgment-no charge!
• A special moment during Communion-no charge!
• Spectacular sunsets-no charge!
• Quiet moments to pray-no charge!

Who needs money??  These relationships, moments and observations are what life is really all about. Even if we lost our jobs, cars, homes and had to beg on the streets for food, we would still have these things.  All we really have to have is gratitude.  It is only then that we notice how truly blessed we are.

Giving God,

Your hand is continually outstretched and open.  We need only accept with gratitude.  Help us to always, always count what we have instead of what we want.  For if we do, we will find we really want for nothing.  Thank you, Father!  Amen.