Thankful for the Things That Really Matter
Well, in case you had not noticed, it is Christmas time again. Maybe I have my holidays a bit mixed up, but instead of limiting my thankfulness to our November holiday for giving thanks, I like to especially show my thanks during the month of December during the Christmas season. In some ways, the Christmas season gives us something of a respite from the monotony of the rest of the year. It is a time to recall all that has happened since last Christmas, to recall Christmas’s of yesteryear when we were children or when our children were little and still at home.
As we consider the season of gift-giving it is always a special time for me personally to reflect upon the gracious and kind favor God has bestowed upon one so undeserving as I. I am genuinely thankful for my salvation in Christ, Jesus. I am further thankful for the many influences upon my life which helped me develop that relationship including my parents, former pastors and youth leaders in my past, mature saints who were living examples to me, the Christian education I received, hundreds of books I’ve read, and more.
I am deeply thankful and appreciative of my wife of 16-plus years. Living day by day with her is a dream. She is the kindest and most supportive person in my life. I am what I am largely because of her. I truly love her more and appreciate her more with each passing day, let alone each year! She is my world. The joy of my life with her is utterly beyond description. We have been through so many things together and loved each other through every minute of it all. We are best friends for life! It is beyond my imagination that any man could be any more blessed than what I have been!
Everyone, it seems, is proud of their kids, but I especially have much to be thankful for. God has blessed my wife and I with four beautiful, intelligent, healthy children who are the joy of our lives. Each is concerned about the things of God, even at their young ages. It is my pleasure each evening to set in our living room and lead them in a time of family devotion and entertain and answer the questions they ask. I agree with Mike Huckabee’s sentiments in a book he wrote which I recently read, that there is not greater job in the world than parenthood. This, remember is coming from a former governor, presidential candidate, pastor, and current TV personality. I agree with the former governor wholeheartedly! If I am a success in every other area of my life and fail as a father, then I am, in essence, a failure. I have truly received a double portion in that my 4 kids excel academically, athletically, and in a great many other areas!
As I look back and as I look ahead, many things go through my mind concerning my possible future. I do genuinely hope to do extensive writing in the years ahead. I have toyed somewhat with the idea of running for political office on some level, at some point. I have also considered teaching on some level, perhaps at a college or seminary. I have a compelling internal drive to make a difference somehow in this world. One thing that I keep coming back to though is that I know in my heart I have already received the greatest calling anyone could ever receive at the point of service – that being a call to preach. There is no higher calling than being a mouthpiece for God. To deliver His words of truth and teach His people is the highest of all honors. Even the president of the United States has no greater purpose than a God-called preacher!
Each and every time I give the Lord back the small portion that I give Him in my tithes and offerings, I am reminded that God has given me every single thing I enjoy. The little bit I give back is paltry by comparison, however God is so gracious that He asks for very little to be given back for the advancement of His kingdom. I have found great joy in giving and also in serving.
When it is all added up at the end of our lives, precious little is going to amount to anything. Life is far too short to waste. I am choosing to give all I can muster to make my life count in the areas that really matter and try and forget about the other stuff! John Piper wrote a book he entitled Don’t Waste Your Life in which he explains how we have this terrible tendency to spend much of our lives doing things which absolutely do not matter at all!
As another year (even a decade) draws to a close, I would ask you “are you wasting your life, or any portion of it?” “Are you investing in eternity or in the sinking ship we call ‘this world?’” You may not be able to go back and change the past, but you can begin new and fresh right here, right now while it is still called “today.”
In Christ,
Pastor Allen Raynor