#Thankyoutoday

During this time of Lent, it's easy to focus on giving up things. But what about giving away things? Isn't that really the point of Lent? Pope Francis has urged people to fast from indifference as we turn our hearts toward Christ's passion. Last year I was made aware of a group in the UK called Stewardship, and during Lent they encourage acts of generosity. In fact, I even already blogged about this idea ...here... This year again I'm receiving their daily email challenges to do an act of generosity each day of Lent.

My prayer for this forty days is: "teach me to live with open hands." This has been my prayer longer than this Lent period, but it is still relevant. When I think of living with open hands, I think of sharing freely. Letting go of my phone, my broom, my computer, my task list and being able to take someone else by the hand. If I open my hands, I let go of control, recognizing that I'm not in charge anyways. The idea of open hands teaches me to be less territorial, less driven, less tense. I doubt I'll learn the lesson before April 6. But it's still my prayer.

Open hands are also a gesture of receiving. When I open my palm, someone else can put something into it... a hand, a gift, a job, a kiss. And we all need to receive these good things. Thankfulness is one way that we can live openly. When we say thank you to someone else, we are recognizing them. We are opening ourselves up to them. We are acknowledging that we received something from them.

Dot Tyler, the writer for today's act of generosity, says:

We live in a world where it is all too easy to be overwhelmed by difficulties, our personal challenges or the news of a world that is broken and crying out for help. Thankfulness instils in us a gratitude for what we do have. The more we practise an attitude of gratitude, the more I think God inspires us to be generous and live for hope, choosing to defy the odds and believe that a better tomorrow is possible.
Today is not just another day; today is an opportunity to invest in thankfulness and be seekers of hope and positivity. With this in mind, let’s join together and…

And thank someone! Most importantly, God. Because all good gifts come from him. But thanking the Lord and neglecting the people around us is not enough. So today, a few of the things and people I am thankful for:

- I thank God for my family because they have raised me to seek Jesus in every part of my life, and they support me in whatever I feel like God is asking me to do. I can talk with them, cry with them, pray with them. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for modeling what it means to seek the Lord's will in your lives: work, play, family, church, everything. Thank you, Dirk, for being a brother who both annoys and supports. Without you, I don't know who I would fight with on lousy days or laugh with on good days. Thank you for being people I admire.

 - I thank God for my housemate, Kelsey. Even when her dumb cat wakes me up in the middle of the night or trips me trying to get attention. Kelsey, thanks for being someone I can rant to, bother, watch shows and movies with, confide in, and be there for.

- I'm thankful for the partnerships that I get to be a part of. Every visit with pastoral couples here in León or Chinandega, the week-long visits from people who live in Pella or Hamilton, the emails that fly between them when they are not together. I'm thankful that I get to see their enthusiasm, their joy, their struggles, and their desire to serve the Lord in their cities as well as collaborate across international borders. Thank you for being people who inspire me.

- I'm also thankful for the practice of fasting. The León pastors explained the Nicaraguan practice of fasting from food to me and how it's a scheduled, specific time of drawing apart here. They recommended it as the most effective spiritual discipline because it reminds us to depend on God. They encouraged me to try it even though I don't have much experience with fasting. I've read about and tried fasting before, but I never really know how to do it. However, with their encouragement, I'm exploring what it means to give up physical food and focus on the spiritual sustenance that the Holy Spirit can provide. I am thankful for this spiritual discipline, and for grace in knowing that change comes step by step.

When I take time to feed on the Word, pray with others, and dedicate time with God, I can be more generous and live with open hands because I know the One who is really in control. When I take time to thank God and others for their influence and involvement in my life, it gives life to them and to me. Thankfulness is an act of generosity with ourselves and others. Let's be catalysts of generosity today through our thankful attitudes.