THE RADNESS FOR GRATNESS
There is no other reason for thanking than love. That is why I thank my wife Elke for telling me that this story was not good enough - after I had rewritten it four times. I was a bit angry and hurt and rebellious, and then I was grateful for correction that comes from the Father through the wife. And from my wife.
My precious wife is my reality check. She knows me well. I can easily write about giving thanks and how important it is to make right with your brothers and sisters before you praise Him (Matthew 5:23), while being angry with my neighbour who is grinding iron all day or shouting in his phone right next to me in my quiet time. I have to tell him that I love him before I even start writing...which I did just now with a Christmas card. I love him.
Yebo, I struggle with pride too. You all think I am the most kind and humble person, but inside I am more like Will Smith playing Hancock who seriously struggles to say: “Good job”. Hancock is so tough he even shaves with his fingernails. But his hardest fight is with a genuine “Thank you.” And his worst struggle is with receiving help. That's right, no invincible superhero needs help, so why should The Sizzling Salmon Slaying Sven who is writing this story?
Over a month ago I prayed with a friend for the Horse race in Stanford that was meant to raise funds for our youth projects. We had a long list of needs. The weather forecast was terrible, the village and its people were slack and we had no funds. We cried out like zealous Jews and German Klageweiber (wailing women) until God told us clearly to give thanks.
This sounded strange. For several months now we had sacrificed our free time and little resources to benefit an unthankful village and some crime ridden youngsters - and then He asks us to give thanks? Excuse me dad?
“Yes son, shut up and give thanks!” his voice thundered from behind the poplars and the village grew quiet. Very, very quiet. It had been a long time since Stanford had heard His voice. Young thieves in school uniforms fell on their knees, hungry Boere farmers dropped their wors, shaky pensioners at the Spar started dancing in the aisles and a local artist tripped badly over his Buddha statue... just kidding. But I wish I weren’t.
God spoke to us, so my friend and me, we thanked Him. And when we started to thank Him we saw how much He already had achieved and how hard He had worked in the hearts of Stanford and how He never slept and never gave up. And slowly we felt gratitude instead of need.
At the day of the race the weather was perfect, we made no money, hardly anyone showed up - but racial gaps were bridged in our team, hearts were mended, horse riders were happy and our Hermanus church team, the Rural Rambling Rams won 6:5 against the - till then - invincible soccer stars of Stanford, the United African Brothers!
God knew not everything would go as we wished, at the Race and in life, but He made clear that it is His war for the good kingdom, His tears for the lost and His restoration of the found.
In our very humanistic Let's Fix It attitude we often focus on our problems in the world and seldom on His achievements for us.
Just take a look at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen recently. Was it a success or a failure, do you think? Can we still save the world or not? Can we still fix the planet after we learned how precious this creation is? Well, we never could, only He can. But never have we been so aware of that.
One of the most beautiful things of my salvation was to be relieved from the burden to save the world. No more superhero. God gently took that yoke from my sore shoulders and I was free. (Now I am His bouncing sidekick.)
That is why Jesus commands us not to worry. God is in control. We just have to stick to our tiny yet very important part. But without God we are in control and this unreal burden makes us sorry beings. Even if it's just a family to sustain or a wife to love or a company to run. Without the help of Christ we are lost. Literally. And we do not only need it, we also have to accept it. Which is even more difficult.
What I had to learn this year was gratitude. Real gratitude. Not that I ever had a problem with being polite or to thank for small things. I love that. Thank the cashier, petrol attendant, police man. Just thank for the most ordinary things people have to do as their job and you will see a lot of smiles. Once I even surprised a traffic cop by thanking him for halting me after I just drove over a stop sign. I never got a fine.
But to thank for the real help we needed this year I had to overcome some old, big and rotten pride. I had to thank from my heart and not from my abilities, because I could not return any favours. Ask any beggar: It is an art to receive with a humble attitude. With pride you grow bitter and get miserable.
As gratitude is opposed to pride, we so often miss out. Even the lepers that were healed surprised Jesus, when only one came back to thank God: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:15-19)
Just recently after our Christmas Service I realized again how much I still have to understand. Staring at my glass of grape juice with a piece of bread in my hand, I got a glimpse of that deep red love He has for us even though His body was as broken by my sin - broken as the bread I ate. And that it might take me an eternity to understand.
He sent His only Son to die for our sin and to set us free - because He loves the world so much. Nelson Mandela tells us this free gift is so great we often are afraid to live our new potential. And if we hardly dare to live it, how can we even thank for it?
We met a lovely woman the other day. All her life she had helped and cared for others and just that morning, completely unexpected, they diagnosed her with cancer of the pancreas. Praying together we saw how many would help her and care for her and that she was the one to receive now. God has surprising plans. In the face of death she had to show gratitude. Completely dependent on Him, she had to rely on His love.
I am an optimist. I always was. I think she will live. And yet as a believer I am as pessimistic as never before because of the brokenness in the world. I feel like a Roland Emmerich who constantly has to squeeze any possible disaster into a blockbuster movie. Or like the youngster at the video store who knows every conspiracy theory and the matching confirmation in Revelation. But that is not what He wants. He does not want me to panic. He wants me to look at Him to have a joyful heart.
God brought me to my knees this year and I was never as grateful as I am now. I am worried still and restless, but I am in awe of Him more and more. I just have to look at Him more and show some more radness in my gratness. Because there is no other reason for thanking than love.
Thank you
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