the BLESSING
Identifying the Goodness of God
November 7th, 2022
Romans 8:31-32, ‘So what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? For God has proved His love by giving us His greatest treasure, the gift of His Son. And since God freely offered Him up as the sacrifice of us all. He certainly won’t withhold from us anything else He has to give.’ (TPT)
F is for Family
The aromas emanate throughout the home and seep beneath the door and window casings and out into the street. A mixture of apple cider and pumpkin pies baking in the oven, along with rising yeast rolls and a cooking turkey, waft through the rooms, hovering over the family members like hot air rises. It smells like a celebration; like joy, like family, like Thanksgiving, like goodness.
Just like the fragrance of family, the sounds spread joy and grace and blessing also. It sounds like Thanksgiving, the laughter does and the soft giggles and gentle conversation, the tinkle of silver on crystal as Dad taps the goblet and Mom summons everyone around the table. The children complain for just a moment about the unwanted interruption but dash anyway to the group gathering to pray. Every year, everyone whines about the requirement to share one thing they are thankful for before they can fix a plate, but begrudgingly they grin as they each take turns. Someone is thankful for a new job, someone else for a new friend, another for a wiggly puppy, another mentions the perfect weather and yet another is grateful just to be alive, while Grampa thanks the Lord for the family gathered in the room, and Gramma smiles secretly, thankful for yet another year to be together. God is praised; His presence is welcomed in the home and amongst the family, His grace and goodness reasons for an extraordinary year even in hard times.
Not far across town, things aren’t quite the same. A boy huddles in a doorway, trying to block out the bite of the wind and the snarl of life. He watches the alley to be the first to see if the only open restaurant in town on this day will throw out any scraps. He sniffs the air, wrinkles his nose, and hopes the nasty he smells is from the dumpster nearby, not from the restaurant where he is waiting to see if there are some leftovers. No matter, he thinks; he’d eat something rotten if he had to, in order to soak up the growl in his gut and the sour emptiness in his soul. He remembers a day when things were different, recalls the laughter in his home, and his mother and grandma rubbing shoulders as they cooked together. On the holiday, he allows himself to remember for just a couple minutes, the good times, the memorable moments, before…before…the failure, the fight, the fatality, the fateful. ‘F’ isn’t just for family, he thinks, sadly, forgotten.
In a different time and a different life, his home was where everyone gathered, where everyone thanked a God they could not see, but Who they knew was right there. He wonders now what happened to that God? Did He stop being God on the day bad things happened to disrupt and destroy the life the boy once knew, or could He still be God despite the tragic of the story? Is He only God when good things happen, where blessing is found and happiness lives, or is God always God and is He always good in spite of what life tosses your way and expects you to catch? The boy ponders all of this as he waits, watching the alley door to the restaurant, realizing he has never thought of it that way. Perhaps he needs to reevaluate things, and work on the heart that is hardening within him. He is suddenly aware that God didn’t stop being God when calamity visited his home. Instead, he stopped believing and hoping and praying to the God Who is, and maybe that’s why the peace and joy left.
The door opens to the alley, and he looks up hopefully, but the man’s hands are empty. The kid shakes his head, refuting what his heart has been beating out to him like a telegram to his soul. He knew better than to hope, an enemy voice taunts in his head. Suddenly, the man beckons him, ‘Com’on, kid, come inside, where it is warm. There is a meal waiting for you. Really, come. Nobody should be alone on Thanksgiving.’ The boy rises to his feet, slowly smiles, and nods. Fortunate, favor, future, fabulous. ‘F’ isn’t just for family, after all.
‘Psalm 68:6a, ‘God sets the lonely in family.’ (NIV)
