Voicing Your Thanks

Suppose for a moment that all forms of verbal communication were suspended. How then would you communicate to those special people in your life how thankful you are for them? In the busy, rushed world we’ve created, it’s not uncommon to forget words of gratitude and lose touch with thankful feelings. Has expressing thanksgiving become obsolete?

What would your children think if you were to tell them how much you appreciate being their parent? How difficult would it be to say “thank you” for the benefits family life has provided? Caring enough to articulate gratitude that comes from the heart is recognizing that all we are and all we have is because of God's favor and blessings.

Voicing thanksgiving helps us see beyond our immediate situation. Thanksgiving is an integral part of praise to the Lord God. Psalm 138:3 reminds us that when we communicate with the Lord God, when we call out to him, he gives us courage and strengthens our souls. Isn’t that a delightful reason to express thanksgiving?

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I will give thanks to you with all my heart…I will give thanks to your name because of your mercy and truth. You have made your name and your promise greater than everything. When I called, you answered me. You made me bold by strengthening my soul.

~Psalm 138:1-3 God’s Word Translation 

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Bridging a Communication Gap

I'm sure you've noticed that the more we acquire, the less time there is to enjoy loved ones and our possessions. The subtle loss of closeness should matter more than things we've acquired. Our tendency is to plod through life marginally in touch with ourselves and family, which invariably leads to a lapse in communication and intimacy.

Where there is a communication gap, negative thoughts and feelings tend to get a foothold. Anger surfaces over the infringement of rules and boundary. Fear reaches for a chokehold when our influence is threatened. The worst problem with the gravest consequence is the emotional distance these powerful emotions create.

Caring enough to communicate can be revived even after years of intimacy deprivation. Getting to know what’s important to each other is crucial to reconnecting. God approached Adam and Eve with love and patience. He challenged them onward to what was possible currently and in the future. The Lord God gives us the same challenge. 

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For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind.

~2 Timothy 1:7 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

Therefore confess your sins, your offenses, to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous believer can accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God – it is dynamic and can have tremendous power.

~ James 5:16  Amplified Bible

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Do You Care Enough?

When Adam and Eve ventured out in the Garden of Eden beyond the boundaries of God's plan, they automatically feared the worst when He came looking for them. It was then that feelings of uneasiness and dread surfaced. It's interesting how fear and guilt work in tandem against our feelings of security and peace of mind.

We, like Adam and Eve, try to hide and cover ourselves when we’ve betrayed God’s boundaries for us. What Adam and Eve learned is crucial for getting beyond failures and disappointment. God came looking for them to restore fellowship and communication so forgiveness and reconciliation could take place.

Communication can be difficult, but caring enough to communicate should mean sharing responsibility for causing pain and suffering. At this juncture it is possible for restoration to begin. God can change fear and hiding into joy and peaceful companionship when there’s the will to begin the process of making things right with God and others.

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So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.

~Matthew 5:23-24 Contemporary English Version

 

Do not be afraid – I am with you! I am your God – let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.

~Isaiah 41:10 Good News Bible

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Make Time to Care

The ability to communicate varies from person to person. The desire and need to communicate depends on each individual’s personality and temperament. As a teenager I made a concerted effort to explain to my father how I wrecked the car he had just given me. Needless to say, I was under great pressure to successfully plead my case. 

At the heart of all effective communication is caring enough for the other person and the relationship to speak honestly and thoroughly as well as being committed to listen to each other’s response. Caring enough supplies the incentive to speak on issues that need to be addressed.

So another basic principle for effective communication is making time to stay in touch so relationships can remain healthy and thrive. God patiently allows us to confess our sins and express our struggles without resorting to intimidation or condemnation because he cares enough to give us the latitude to grow and change. This personifies his grace and mercy. 

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 Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the end because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.

~2 Peter 3:9 The Message

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