“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
Early in our marriage, Carrie and I lived for two years in Abilene, Texas. Looking back, these graduate school years are precious to us. We made ministry-minded friends from around the country and other parts of the world. We thrived as we studied and expanded our understandings of Scripture, church history, theology, biblical languages, ministry, and the Christian life. We were as broke as we’ve ever been in our married life yet we lacked for nothing.
One of our sweetest Abilene experiences happened each November, when families who left town for the holiday invited us to use their homes and kitchens and to bring any fellow graduate students to join us for a Thanksgiving feast. For two years, we gathered as many students as we could find and shared in delightful meals. Many of us were cooking turkey and baking pies for the first time. We all were away from home and family and yet having a home and a kitchen to share made the holiday warm and bright.
When we asked the families who had shared their homes with us how we could properly thank them, they simply smiled and told us stories of when they were young and broke and others graciously welcomed them. Then they said that when we were able, we should “pay it forward”, sharing hospitality with others who might appreciate it. This has been something Carrie and I have tried to do ever since. For us, paying it forward has in part taken the form of welcoming people into our home for weekly small group bible study, meals, prayer, and the sharing of life.
As we share in the “Armloads of Love” ministry this Sunday, and as we prepare for Thanksgiving later this week, I’d invite us all to refresh our appreciation for life as a gift. No, life doesn’t always go how we’d hoped it would. Yes, life can hand us some bitter disappointments and losses, to be sure. Those are to be grieved and given their due. But life is still a gift. A gift to be appreciated, savored, and shared. A gift to pay forward in as many creative ways as there are recipients of the gift. David Kelsey calls this sort of living “doxological gratitude,” a phrase that means giving praise to God out of a thankful heart.
May we continue to live with a profound sense of gratitude for the generous love and hospitality we’ve received throughout life. And may we continue to seek to find ways to be welcoming and hospitable, whether in our home, at church, at work, or around the world.
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