We have reached the time of the year that falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a time when we have just celebrated all that we are thankful for and yet we are looking forward to the more that is to come. A time when we have purposefully taken time to be intentionally content with what we have but yet we’re pressing forward with expectations of the gifts we want to give and if we’re being honest the gifts we hope to receive. This time of year creates tension.
I think the tension is good. I think we not only need it but I think we are called to it. We need to be both content with what we have and where we are in life but we also have to look forward with growth and expectation in mind. God calls us to be both thankful and content with where we are while also calling us to reach forward into the more and better that is to come. They are both very important and needed parts of life and we can find biblical examples of both throughout the Bible.
So if you are feeling this tension either now, with the holidays that are being celebrated, or at any other time in your life know that it’s part of the process. It’s important to be thankful for what you have but it’s also important to keep moving forward. God isn’t pleased with people that are just thankful for what they have without any forward motion but he also isn’t pleased with people that become so focused on growing and producing that they can’t be thankful for what they have. Learning how to move between thankfulness and growth appropriately both teaches and demonstrates spiritual growth in your life.
Here are a few scriptures and biblical examples for you to reflect on over this season:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
Psalms 138
Matthew 25:14-30
Ephesians 3:19-20
2 Kings 4:1-7