Do You Need a "Rescue List?"

Dear Friends,

There’s a story of an old country parson who was always filled with the joy of the Lord and unrelentingly thankful even during the worst of circumstances. That Saturday an unexpectedly huge snow storm swept over their town and they awoke Sunday morning to downed trees, no electrical power and collapsed roofs. As a few hardy parishioners gathered in the church for Sunday services they grumbled out loud that there was certainly nothing for the good reverend to be thankful about that morning. “MERCIFUL FATHER!” bellowed the parson, “WE COME INTO THY PRESENCE AND THANK THEE THAT NOT ALL DAYS ARE LIKE THIS ONE..!!”

Ephesians 5:20 tells us to “..give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” How do we remain thankful for all things in the middle of our own life-storms? When our circumstances have plunged us into the pit of despair, we can’t even remember anything to be thankful about!  And, that’s why we need a list.

When things are going well, we easily recall all our blessings that we so easily forget when times are tough. In challenging times, we might even find ourselves desperately searching for something good to hang on to but positive thoughts are elusive and gratitude is beyond our grasp. That’s why I wanted to share my list with you even though it’s really very personal. I keep it in my Bible. These are just some of the things for which I am most thankful. Some may sound spiritual to you and some you may think are just silly but they bring a smile to my face when I read these.

If my computer crashes, I have a “rescue disk” that will bring it back to life. If my day crashes, my “rescue list” will bring it back to life. A positive  perspective will be restored, my thankfulness will be re-booted and I will once again be operating in the joy of the Lord. I’m sharing my list with you in the hope you will be inspired to make your own list that will rescue you from the storms of life and fill your heart with gratitude to a gracious God.

What are those things that you are most thankful for right now? What brings a smile to your face? Write those down, tuck the list in your Bible and read it often. You might even want to obtain a small notebook and begin to journal all the things for which you are thankful.

Tomorrow is the day of Thanksgiving when the citizens of the United States of America have designated one day out of the year to be thankful. But the citizens of the Kingdom of God have 365 days out of the year to give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen?