140 Words (More or Less) About Thanksgiving

It’s Twitterific Thursday and it’s Thanksgiving.  You probably know the drill by now.  I write a post in 140 words, more or less.

Today is Thanksgiving.  I’m not sure what I should write about today.

Should I write about all of the things that I am thankful for today? Christ, Salvation, Marriage, Children, Family, Health, Job and more?

Should it be that I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart?

Should it be about my prayer life and how I should not be anxious for anything, but by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving let my requests be made known to God?

What is the answer to what my blog post should be about today?

The answer is yes.  Yes to all of these.

I am thankful for all of this and more.  I need to strive to come to God with thanksgiving in my heart.  I need to lay down any anxiety and trust Him through prayer.

How about you?  What does Thanksgiving mean to you today?

Running Like Children

I just finished a book called  Born To Run.  It’s a true story about a guy who developed a pain in his foot.  His search for a cure led him to the Tarahamura Indians in Mexico.  These Indians will run incredible distances in breechcloth and sandals fueled by a concoction they call iskiate.  I’m sure that if analyzed it would show up on all endurance sports’ banned substance lists.

I’m not finished with the book yet, but one of the things that stood out to me was what a college running coach discovered.  This gentleman, upon watching the Tarahmurans run discovered their true secret.  He found out how and why they are able to run incredible distances day after day.  It isn’t just their lifestyle.  It isn’t just their diet of iskiate.  What he realized was that they ran with a childlike joy.

Think about that for a minute.  Think back to when you were a child.  Did anyone ever tell to get to running?  Probably not.  More than likely you were told to slow down or quit running in the house.  When you were a kid you ran.  Why?  Because you loved to run.  You were free.  When I went to my grandma’s house, I would have her time me as I ran around the house.  Why?  Because I loved to run fast around her house.  I ran for no other reason than that.

This made me think of what Jesus said when he said that to enter the kingdom of heaven one needed to become like children.  How would you approach Jesus?  Most of us would slink to Him.  How would a child?  A child would run and jump into his arms, just like your children probably have done to you or you did to your parents.

At the end of 1 John 2, John says that we should approach Him confidently.  Why?  Because we are His children.  What does  that mean?  I think it means running to him as hard as possible, chasing Him around the house, jumping, squealing with exuberant joy.  Just like you used to run as child, running like children to the Savior and to the Father.

If you are a follower of Jesus, how do you think you should approach Jesus?  Do you run to Him with childlike joy?