BEING GRATEFUL

In many ways, I am enjoying this time in my life, more than any other. Things are clearer to me now than they've ever been. I'm not overrun by testosterone, pride, anxiety, or any of the other trappings of my younger days. Sunrise and sunset move me to tears. Right now, I'm looking out my office window of the church toward lake Harrison and watching the sun rise. Suddenly, I'm tearing up. The noise from the street wafts up over the edge of the second story and echoes softly. I have the window open, and a sparrow is bathing himself in a puddle on the roof made by the early morning dew. It is the antics of these little birds that caused me to name this blog the Sparrow's Perch. They don't fret about what to wear, where to live, where the next meal will come from. It is a place of complete trust. Listening to them talk to one another, I feel an amazement at how patient our God must be with us silly humans. It's as if they are saying: Trust God, Trust God, Trust God. You see, the sun came up. Don't start laughing and go all scientific on me. I know all about orbits, fusion reactions that power stars, gravity, and other mechanical factors that hold this rock in place around our sun. The mechanics don't impress me.

The sun 'rose' long before I was born, and for the sake of my children and grandchildren, I am sure it will continue long after I'm gone. What goes unsaid in the machinations of everyday life, is gratefulness to the creator for sustaining this physical universe he created for us. Gratitude doesn't come easy for us humans. We are so cocksure of ourselves that we are the center of the universe. For a large part, the modern world has dismissed the idea of a creator and embraced the lunacy of extraterrestrial guidance. It's easier to be angry at long forgotten alien species than to humble yourself before a loving and ever mindful creator.

Withholding gratitude is one of the most selfish acts we commit. We withhold it from our God, and from one another. Sure, we give one another a polite “thank you,” and move on quickly with our life, but being grateful is a step above. Gratefulness takes our appreciation of God to another level. In our relationships with one another, gratefulness absolves the other person of any debt or responsibility. Gratefulness says: “I am pleased and content with what you did for me.” It is deeper than the cursory 'thanks.' Once we express our gratitude, we can't call them back in anger and say; “what'd you give me the piece of crap for?” or “I can't believe you only went that far in helping me when I needed more help.” Gratitude is the most freeing thing we can give someone else. It means we give up ownership or any future claim to dissatisfaction. Why do I say that? Because we all know from our childhoods when we became bored with a toy or a friend and would begin to complain, our parents would say; “you sure seemed happy with it when we gave it to you.” Or, “what happened, you were playing with your little friend just fine a few minutes ago?” What we learn early on in our life, is that gratitude is forever. Stinginess offers a stifled “thank you,” and moves on quickly to the next thing it wants.

So, as I watch the little sparrows splash with joy in the puddles on the roof, I will be grateful to God for the sound of their chirps, the rumble of cars in the street below, the whir of the fan on my computer, and the soft ticking of the second hand on the mantle clock. I will praise God for the sun rising in a blaze of light behind a curtain of lush green trees. I will breathe and be grateful that my heart still beats within this frail earth suit which holds my spirit.

WHY?

This I know; somewhere this morning there is a hormonally challenged young man weaving through traffic and cursing everyone who gets in his way. There is a mother cursing a crying child because she can't figure out what the child wants. There is a businessman shaving himself and wondering if he will be able to pull off the business deal of the year. There are people everywhere, doing what people do, oblivious to what God is doing to keep them alive. Scientists eagerly search the macro and micro to disprove God, only to come back to the most basic question: where did it all come from? This is a moot question for me. I've chosen to live in the sparrows perch, close to the Holy Place, in the shadow of the Almighty. Yes, I know the mechanics of the universe, because I know the creator. I don't have to be grateful for the mechanics, but I choose to be grateful for the next heave of my chest, the dance of my fingers upon the keyboard, and most wondrously of all, the mind which allows me to do all of it and still hear the little sparrows chirping outside my window.

I am so grateful Lord God for who you are and all you do.