Push

Ever since I heard the Matchbox 20 song “Push”, back in 1997, I’ve thought about the line: “I want to take you for granted.”  It has a negative connotation, yet that is exactly the person I want in my life.  Someone I can take for granted that they will be there in the background doing those things that make life better and easier.  The problem with taking someone, or something, for granted, is that it comes with the assumption that we do not recognize, appreciate, or validate, that person, or those actions.  That is not me!  The people I take for granted in my life know they are important.  The things I take for granted I am thankful for.  So when I came across this guided meditation, I decided I’d like to share it with you.

Take a few deep breaths to help clear your mind…..then think about the things that have always been there in your life—-the things you may take for granted, the things that remain in the background quietly making your life comfortable, joyful, meaningful. Because these things that have always been in your life don’t call attention to themselves, we sometimes fail to give thanks to God for them as often as we should.  So, think of some things that have silently endured throughout your life, never failing to make your life better.  Now, give thanks to God for these “things-that-have-always-been”!

Now think about the opposite of the above exercise.  Think about the things that have never been in your life—-things that you have never had to experience:  possibly like having to live in your car or having to sleep outside; but, if you did, you did so because you chose to—-and you always had s’mores as the campfire died down!  Give thanks to God for these “things-that-have-never-been” in your life.

Finally, all of us probably had moments in our past that surely did not seem like blessings at the time.  Back when we were living through those times, I am sure we never expected to give thanks for them one day.  In our limited and linear world, we tend to view our lives as though we are flipping through the pages of a magazine, one after the other.  I would guess God does not look at things in the same manner as we do.  I suspect God sees our lives more as collages, where all the pages are pasted together, where past, present and future all blend together as a whole!  So, I invite you to give thanks to God for something in your past that did not seem like a cause for gratitude at the time, but which led your life off on a direction you never expected.  Reflect on how this event fits into the overarching narrative of your life.

This is true gratitude!  This is giving thanks to God for all the things God has given us, as we look to the future and the expanse of possibilities the future holds.  The future which is the birthplace of hope—-hope for a future with God!