Appreciation of Others

"We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." -- 1 Thessalonians 1:2

Paul opens his letter to the church in Thessalonica with these words, and what encouraging words they are! In this brief opening, he offers words of appreciation for the members of the community. He thanks God and prays for them. He notices the work they do and the faith, hope, and love they possess. He cares about them, he's proud of them, he is thankful for them -- he loves them. And he's making sure they know that they are loved.

We all have people whose works of faith and love and steadfast hope have inspired us. These are people who have strengthened and encouraged us along the way, maybe even at a low point. Who do you give thanks for today? Who are you remembering in your prayers? Who has been meaningful to you in your journey of faith? Take a moment to let these persons know how much you appreciate them. Let them know how much they are loved and remembered today.

Being the Best

 As I watch the 2014 Winter Olympics this week, I have noticed that many athletes celebrate placing 2^nd or 3^rd in their event. Although they did not win, being 2^nd or 3^rd means they receive an Olympic medal. Still, the competitor in me finds this odd. Why celebrate coming up short of winning? After all, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” (Reese Bobby, Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby)

With all due respect, Reese Bobby had it all wrong. The athletes who celebrate being 2^nd or 3^rd do so because they compete with themselves, not other athletes.  Unconcerned with being the best in their event, they are only concerned with being the best they can be.

How often do we measure our success by how we place in the standings of those around us? Even Jesus’ closest followers did it, multiple times being caught arguing about who among them was the greatest. Each time, Jesus reminded them that greatness is not achieved by being better than others. It’s achieved by being a better version of ourselves. Don’t worry about how you measure up to other people. Are you being the best you that you can be?

Winter of Discontent

I know I am in the minority, but I love winter. I’ll take cold weather over warm weather any day, and there are few things prettier than a winter’s landscape after freshly fallen snow. Yet, this winter has been more harsh than usual for this part of the country, with multiple cold snaps and more snow in one winter than I can ever remember. It’s enough to make even me, a lover of winter, grumble.

My muscles ache from shoveling snow. The cold temperatures are giving me “cabin fever.” And instead of running through the neighborhood or the local park, I’m stuck running on a treadmill like a hamster in a wheel. But more than all these things combined, I am getting really frustrated with the way wintry weather is messing with my schedule and my productivity.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

One thing winter does is challenge my obsession with productivity and efficiency. I value time as a commodity to use or lose, and often work myself into a frenzy trying to accomplish more in a given day than humanly possible. And here comes winter, in all its cold, white, icy glory, to slow me down.

Snow – more specifically its effects on our travel – forces us to re-evaluate what is truly necessary. Is it really necessary to keep that meeting or appointment? Is it worth risking getting our car stuck or into an accident to run a few errands? Do we really need to go to the store today? Snow and cold weather remind us that most things we think MUST-BE-DONE-TODAY can wait.

“What gain have the workers from their toil...I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it.” – Ecclesiastes 3:9, 14

Winter frees us from our devotion to productivity and hyperactivity. It reminds us that our work is not as important as we think it is, and thankfully our value to God is not tied to our work and toil. If you haven’t already, take a snow day (also called Sabbath rest); the work can wait for another time.