“ As we learn to give thanks for all of life and death, for all of this given world of ours, we find a deep joy. It is the joy of trust, the joy of faith in the faithfulness at the heart of all things. It is the joy of gratefulness in touch with the fullness of life.”
I think it’s been hard to be thankful, if I’m being honest. My anxiety traps me in my flawed ways of thinking, and I forget all the good that God has given me— all the life, joy, and gladness. In this season, I’ve started to pray that I would be a person filled with more joy—joy that doesn’t cover up the sorrow and sadness, but joy that stands in tension with it. I find a lot to be grateful for. There’s a lot of hard, but also a lot of sweet.
I want to be like Elias this Thanksgiving. He was opening a gift, and we forgot to record it, so we shoved his stuffed animal back into the bag and got him to pull it out again. Somehow, even knowing what the gift was, he was even more happy to receive it. There is this fullness of presence that he embodies, which is so humbling. He wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts of what he’ll get next year or what comes after this moment. He was just happy to be there, receiving the gift and laughing with his family.
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And this childlikeness, this joy and being fully present is something I strive to do. I pray that I can be grateful for the gifts I have received, thankful for the things I am spared from, and thankful for the season that I’m in.
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From Pizza Theology on The books of Samuel!
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Here’s a link to the pizza Theo (the first audio)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/47C0lwUFdi2mSSS3H5ZsbR?si=BUm7nmgnRIiClOW_FiK4gw |
| Students at pizza theology |
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| Elias with his friend who’s parents are in another ministry at UNT |
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| Some family photos our talented friend took for us! |
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| Some of our guys praying for the campuses |
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| Two of the girls I met with are First Gen Students (first generation to go to college in their family) |
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| In Arkansas for a family trip |
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