Years Later; Most Thankful for Jesus
At your home, perhaps turkey, stuffing, and football will be the same as ever—but not all is the same for you as it used to be. Family gatherings are missing your child—and perhaps, like me, they have been for some years now. Your Thanksgivings have gone through many changes.
I hope that you know the comfort of Christ’s gospel in your pain—that the good news of His sacrifice on the cross for sins means you can believe and have the assurance of heavenly glory that far surpasses this earth. How good and wonderful it is to reflect upon all Christ has done for His people—winning an eternal victory over sin and death, winning us as believers to Himself so that we become family with Him! I am grateful for this, and more, that the Lord has done.
As you have your meal tomorrow and miss your child, the ache in your soul of loss means that you miss not only what your child has done for you—like, making you a mother (for the first time, or again) and giving you joy. You hurt because you miss the person, your child.
That reality is comforting in how it validates our experiences of grief over real people hardly known on this earth, and also helpful for how this truth can point to God. It’s worth think over—loving God also involves not only being grateful for what He has done, but also for who He is.
God of My Story
When John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus, he said, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matt. 3:11).
Is my heart ready to exult that I am not the mighty one—but He is? And does it quickly proclaim that I am not remotely worthy of Him—but He is worthy to be worshiped forever? Am I set on sharing my own faithfulness—or am I sharing my life as a testimony to Him that others might know and praise Him more?
A heart ready to make much of Jesus, to be thankful for Him most, is just as ready to make little of self. He is God of my story, and the purpose of it. Thank You, Jesus, for being a God worthy of owning my unfolding days.
God of My Time
When Jesus spoke to Peter and Andrew—they immediately followed Him. The same happened with James and John. They stopped what they were doing to go after Him (see Matthew 4:18-22).
Is my heart ready to say that Christ is worthy of immediate trust and obedience? Do I confess that there is urgency to following the Lord, even if I have not always responded with it? Do I seek to decide, of myself, what is most important to fill my time, or am I giving of my time to Him?
A heart ready to make much of Jesus offers all activities, roles, and jobs into His hands, wanting time on earth to be used to praise Him however He chooses. He is God of my time, and the purpose of how it is used. Thank You, Jesus, for being a God worthy of owning every minute.
God of My Living
When someone approached Jesus, saying before following him, “Lord let me first go and bury my father” (Matt. 8:21), Jesus denied the request. Just prior, the gospel writer, Matthew, records Jesus as saying, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). Jesus teaches that the arrangements of this life are not the most important—Jesus did not come to build Himself a marvelous home situation here. He did promise to build an eternal Church, rescued out of this world (see Matt. 16:18; Matt. 12:48-50).
Is my heart ready to say that nothing of this life needs to be settled, resolved, enjoyed, or experienced prior to following Jesus? Is there any one thing I want to know or do before casting myself upon His will alone, or am I all His—right now?
A heart ready to make much of Jesus makes arrangements with Him first and does His eternal will as the first priority—leaving arrangements, including those involving homes and families, to His sovereign choice. Thank You, Jesus, for being a God worthy of being followed ahead of the plans of this life.
There is so much I do not yet understand about Him, and about how to follow Him as God. But I am grateful that He is God, that He is now and will forever be—and this will never change. He will never change. I am in awe. How did I get to know and follow this marvelous, awesome, great One?
When you miss the person you do not have right now, rest in this infinite Person who has the whole world in His hands. Thank You, Lord, for being worthy.
- Lianna
Hope Mom to Noelle
Lianna is wed to Tyler and mother of two girls, one who lives in heaven and one who lives on earth. First and foremost, she is a vessel of mercy belonging to her Lord. She enjoys spending time with family, being a church member, studying, and taking photographs. You can find her serving with Hope Mommies as Content Director and writing at lovely Sovereign.
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