“I am thankful to be a Christian because . . .”

“I am thankful to be a Christian because . . . ”

An entry in the Thanksgiving Group Writing Project sponsored by On the Horizon, The Next Step, and A Proverbs 31 Wanna Be Woman.

On this Thanksgiving, like all others, it is appropriate to focus on the things in our lives for which we are grateful. There’s no doubt about it: I am a very blessed woman. In particular, I feel blessed to be a person of faith because that is what sustains me from day to day.

Many people write and speak about “the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior” or “the day I was saved.” They tell stories of a life that was devoid of belief in something bigger than themselves, lacking focus, and without meaning until a specific point in time when they underwent a life-changing conversion experience. I love hearing those stories. I find them fascinating because I cannot relate. Those folks’ experiences are completely different than my own.

I was born into a Christian family. Although my father was not raised in a home where faith was practiced (I don’t know anything about his parents’ beliefs), he was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran church as an adult when he married my mother. She, like my sister and me, was baptized as an infant, grew up attending Sunday School and worship services regularly, and was confirmed into church membership as an adolescent. Both of my parents remained members of the church until their deaths. In my mother’s case, despite the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease which stole her memories of the people she cared for, she could recite the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles’ Creed, and sing many of her favorite hymns and Christmas carols without stumbling over a single syllable. It was a testament, according to our doctor and then-pastors, to how deeply embedded in her soul and spirit those words were.

I do not believe that being a Christian makes me better than anyone else, nor do I believe that I have “a lock” on something that is not readily available to everyone else — the peace that passes understanding. On the contrary, the older I get, the less I know and the more questions I have. The more I read the Bible, the more I appreciate that it is a divinely-inspired work, but given that it was written by imperfect human beings and has been translated repeatedly, I accept its message through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than my ability to read and comprehend its meanings on my own. I neither condemn nor attempt to convert anyone who does not share my beliefs because I believe that the best “advertising” is leading a life that is consistent with and exemplifies one’s beliefs.

I am thankful that I am a Christian because I simply do not know how to be anything else. I know that isn’t a very profound response, but it is an honest one.

During a Bible study, the leader once asked the group members to write on index cards what prayer was like to them. Fortunately, the answers were provided anonymously because, at that time in my life, I would have had a hard time standing up and saying, “Prayer is like breathing.” But that was the answer he read aloud from my card. My prayers are like my breathing: Instinctual. Automatic. Ingrained. Habitual. Absolutely necessary to my survival. Required to sustain life.

Consistent with the overriding principles of Christianity, I do not believe that there is anything I could possibly do to deserve the blessings in my life. I have no answer to the question of why some people in this world have so much while others have so little. I can only trust that all truths and rationales will be revealed eventually.

Rather, the good things that come to me and define who I am are gifts from the Triune God and exemplify the boundless, limitless and unending love that is freely bestowed upon each of us. So it is “right and good” to periodically stop and spend some time meditating on those people and things, how they enrich my life, and why I am so very thankful for them. That’s what I will be doing tomorrow. I hope you will spend some time with your loved ones, relaxing and reflecting upon all of the positive aspects of your life.

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