And there is this thanksgiving
The flashing sign says Please Give Thanks. The song on the radio plays loud, Only Jesus and the leaves dance their farewell spin–freefalling slowly with the wind.
And he stood so humbly in the pulpit on the eve of gratitude and said, ‘We can all use a little thanksgiving in every day.’
He wraps the nails with the smallest of wires as tight as crippled hands will allow into the form of the cross of his Savior. Five hours for one cross and he wants everyone in the church to have his gift to give.
His name is Tobias and his name means Yahweh is good–God is good and he was born with a broken heart. There’s this orphanage in China where parents take their children when they can no longer afford their child’s medical care. There they say their final good-byes and leave their babies and toddlers with blue lips, blue fingernails and the brokest of hearts.
That was Toby’s home. And there he was loved, cared for, and prayed over. Toby was adopted earlier this year by a family in the United States who knew the expenses of his medical treatments, his much needed by-pass surgery and they also knew there could be a greater cost of broken. Over the past few days brave Toby has been fighting for his life after his heart surgery. His heart is sealed but his lungs are still in need of healing. His forever family–they don’t share any bloodlines between them only heartlines and they wait by his side in the ICU where they have been for days and prayers are being lifted all over the world for this strong warrior.
Zacchaeus, he climbed a tree just to see Jesus and a blind man shouted His name even though the crowd tried to quieten him–stay where you are, they said. And a woman who after she was freed of her demons took up her cross and followed Him all the way to the grave and empty tomb.
And we are all in need of Him and there’s still this reaching for one touch of His garment.
We sit close–she and I and her blue eyes has this glint of a heaven star and she says, ‘Granna, the Grinch hates Christmas.’ And she said, ‘you know why–because his heart is too little. But it grows Granna and he loves Christmas now.’
And there is this thanksgiving…
For leaves that dance.
For a pastor who speaks truth.
For a man with crippled hands forming the smallest of crosses sharing his gifts.
For Mamas who hug tightly to children who never grew as a seed in her womb but through the miracle of another.
For children with blue lips and blue fingernails and their forever families and their caretakers and medical teams.
For those who could not be hushed and whose lives poured out buckets of trust, obedience, grace.
And to a grand baby girl who knows when we allow our hearts to grow, then and only then can we fully love with the greatest of thanksgivings.
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Colossians 4:4
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