First Baptist Church of Herndon

Thank YOU !

Linda Soller | Nov 24, 2014

This is the official time of year set aside for everyone to think about the things they are thankful for. So I’m assuming you’ve already started doing just that. What, too busy? I’m sorry, but too busy is not an acceptable excuse because everyone is busy this time of year, and so I have to insist you pause right now and be thankful for something. I’ll wait…. Don’t you feel better? Well if that is the best smile you can offer I’ll just have to try and do something to help you along.

Okay, so I’m thankful for the big things you would expect, my country, my home, my family, my church, my friends, my job, well, you get the point. However, I have to admit I sometimes get side tracked by the many smaller things in life interrupting my thankfulness. You know the expression, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” It’s easy to let all the smaller trials and tribulations, or the “trees” of daily life, influence how we see the “forest,” the all of life. I think your current expression would soften a great deal if you either had another cup of coffee, took a nap, or finished reading this blog. I am hoping you will select number three, but honestly the other two will probably work.

I decided this year to try and spend this week being thankful for the little things, the good “trees” in my life. My goal is to have it become a habit. For example, this morning I’m thankful it is not twenty-five degrees outside. Yes I own a coat and certainly got through last week’s cold snap, but I’m still thankful. I’m thankful that despite the traffic in our area I have a relatively easy commute which ends in our building’s parking garage. I’ve become a huge fan of our parking garage after last winter. I’m thankful for my church related commitments. You heard me correctly. Those church “trees” do keep me busy, but they also help me focus, apply my faith, stay active, make new friends, and learn. I could see them as work, but I’ve decided to see them as opportunities. Opportunities are truly good trees in our forest.

Oh, and I’m thankful for you. Why are you looking around to see who else is in the room? I am thankful for YOU. In a world that is fascinated with how many hits, friends, likes, connections, and tweets a person gets, I’m thankful for you. Why, you ask? What have you done? You read this blog, you give me an opportunity to do something I love, and you give me your time. Just three paragraphs earlier you were too busy to be thankful and yet here you are giving of yourself, and for that I am truly thankful. What’s more I may not know who you are, I don’t even know how many others like you are reading this blog. So you’re not getting public recognition for your action, it’s truly a gift. I can understand you may not have thought about it in those terms before, but it is. The gift of ourselves and our time is precious, and not given as often as you might imagine. I think there’s a good chance if you don’t see reading this blog as a gift you most likely do other things each day which slip your attention. If you don’t see the wonderful things you do for others each day you may not be seeing the wonderful “trees” in your life either. You may miss the smile from the stranger who lets you on the elevator first or holds the door open, the dedication of the bell ringer at the red bucket outside of your grocery store, and the usher at your church who gets there early just to say welcome. Yes there are many good “trees” in our forest of life. Some are small little saplings, while others are formidable, but all are trees, part of something bigger.  

This is a good week to be thankful. So is next week, and the next after that. It’s high time you started noticing all the wonderful trees in your forest. It’s also important to remember you and your actions may be the “trees” in someone else’s life. I actually heard you held the door open for someone the other day, good for you, good for them. Thank YOU!

Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving!  :o)    Linda