“Because I live, you also will live.” – John 14:19b
Dear Saints,
What do you depend on? As the humidity sets in, we can pretty much depend on the fact that we have a long, hot summer ahead of us. We can depend on the rising and setting of the sun, the coming and going of the tides. We can depend on water when we open the tap, electricity when we flip the switch, and cold air when we open the fridge. Hopefully we can depend on our family, friends and community to be there for us when we need them. In this corner of the world, there are plenty of “givens” we can rely on to get us through our days. And on the other side of the coin, there are some pretty reliable negative events we can regularly expect to occur as well.
We build our lives on the stable foundations we can depend on. We depend on our health to hold out, our career paths to be viable, our support systems to stay in place. That way, when the unexpected comes – the diagnoses, the broken relationships, the financial slumps – we know we have enough dependable resources to fall back on to get us through. It’s those times when multiple factors begin to change that we really begin to feel like we’re spiraling or losing control. And it’s the times when everything fits nicely into place that we may tend to take for granted the dependable people, structures, and blessings in our lives.
We who are blessed with a reasonable daily expectation of food, shelter, safety, and access to healthcare may tend to take those things for granted. We may tend to take our beautiful natural surroundings for granted, including clean air and water. These things we depend on for life are sometimes the easiest to forget. So what place does gratitude take in our lives? How do we incorporate gratitude into our lives so that we don’t forget the many foundational blessings we receive every day?
Making space for gratitude may take the form of daily prayer, or a gratitude journal. It may be incorporate into blessings before meals, or mindfulness and meditation. It’s precisely because God’s blessings are so dependable that gratitude so important. Living a life of gratitude means giving thanks for the breath in our lungs, the use of our bodies and the love in our hearts. Jesus reminds us this Easter season: “Because I live, you also will live.” Life itself is gift of God. And the baptized life is the gift of new beginnings every day, and a heavenly home when our days on earth are over.
God of life, may we never forget all the ways we depend on you. Keep us grateful for the everyday blessings that fill our lives. Amen.
+ Pastor Ginger +