CROSSCURRENTS - Larry Whittlesey

THE FERTILE SOIL OF A GRATEFUL HEART

 
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,  that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
-2 Corinthians  8:9  

  The legend is told of a man who found the barn where Satan kept seeds to be sown in the human heart.  It quickly became obvious that most numerous seed in his arsenal were the seeds of “discouragement”.  When he inquired as to why this was so, his guide told him it was because the seeds of “discouragement” could grow almost anywhere.  The word “almost” intrigued the man.  When he pressed for a further explanation the guide reluctantly told him there was one place were the seeds of discouragement would never grow. “And where is that?’ asked the man.  The guide sadly replied, “In the heart of a grateful man.”

  Discouragement is one of Satan’s most powerful tools in the life of a Christian.  A church filled with discouraged Christians soon loses its’ sense of vision and ministry in the larger community.  Without vision nothing of significance is ever accomplished for the Kingdom of God.  Maintaining an attitude of gratitude is essential to our effectiveness, both as individuals and as a congregation. 

We may be living in tough economic times, but we still have an abundance of things for which to be grateful.  Our commitment to ministry, the expansion of our church facilities, or our vision for the future should never be based on what we “don’t have”, but rather in gratitude for what we already enjoy! 

  If we really stop to think about it, we are an incredibly blessed people.  God has already given us far more than we need or deserve.  Like the old hymn suggests,  we would all be amazed  if we would “count our blessings.”The natural response of anyone taking such an inventory is to want to give something back. 

Effective ministries are always financed by gratitude.  Coercion, guilt, obligation and pressure never really work.  Effective ministry grows out of the fertile soil of a grateful heart.  Satan’s seeds of discouragement can’t take root there, but God’s seeds of  generosity and sacrifice always do.  That’s why money is never a problem in the church that is filled with grateful people!  I wonder, what’s the soil condition of our hearts telling us?

PAPERWEIGHT MEMORIES

It sits on my desk as a constant reminder of who I am and what is really important in life. While it's only purpose is to hold things down and keep some of my loose papers organized,  its' value is not measured by its' utilitarian effectiveness.   Rather,  the value of this particular item can only be measured by subjective analysis of what it actually means to me personally! 
 
    What is it?  It's a paperweight!  I know,  this may be the first time ever that someone has written a feature article about a paperweight.  But this paperweight is special.....at least it is to me!  Taped carefully on the bottom on this clear glass half spherre is a photo of my family....my wife, my daughter,  my two sons....and the big guy with the beard!  It doesn't include my two daughter-in-laws or my son-in-law,  or any of my six grandkds.....just the folks who grew up in the family that Chris and I formed when we got married. 
 
    The photo was taken on a day not too dissimilar to today....a cold, wet autumn day in November. It was taken in one of our favorite places,  Autzen Stadium in Eugene,  after an Oregon Duck victory in the Civil War.  The 5 of us, all decked out in our green and yellow,  conned someone into taking a picture of us mugging for the camera. It's become one of my favorite pictures of all time! 
 
  When I looked at my paperweight this morning,  I was reminded once again that life is too short to get so stressed about things that ultimately don't matter.  Our relationships with those we love are far more important that problems over passing issues,  bills that need to be paid,  minor aches & pains,  and misguided folks who root for other teams like the Beavers or Huskies!   The memories created by times like football games, Thanksgiving dinners,  Christmas,  birthday parties,  grandpa dates, and silly emails should be cherished.  Those little maniacs that grew up in my home are now grown adults with kids of their own. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone. 
 
 When falls rolls around  I'll leave the office a bit earlier than normal on a Friday afternoon to once again drive down I-5 and head to Eugene.  There I will meet up with a posse of little ones anxious to spend a night with Grandma and Grandpa.  Sometime that Saturday Chris and I will  head to Autzen Stadium,  as we have for the past 15 years,  knowing that our daughter Marci will be sitting beside us, and our two boys will be just  behind us one section over......all decked out in green and yellow. At halftime we'll all gather together outside of section 35 to eat our hotdogs and talk about the first half.  Then we'll briefly connect after the game,  hug them all, and head home with another family memory worthy of being on a paperweight of it's own. 

    I'd encourage you to make a few of those special memories of your own.  And if you need some ideas for a paperweight, just let me know....even if you are a Beaver or a Husky fan! 
 
Touched by the Memories,

Larry