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From the 2018 series “With Thanks”
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the nations.”
It may surprise you, but I'm somewhat shy. In a crowd of people, I tend to migrate toward the back corner of the room. Meeting new people has always been a challenge that takes a lot of energy. It doesn't mean that I'm not a 'people person.' I like people, but getting to know new folks is exhausting. As a pastor, I've worked on my interpersonal and extroverted skills. Still, even now, on a Sunday afternoon, I usually find myself pooped!
I share this information about myself to set the stage for talking about giving thanks among strangers. It might come easy for you, but it is tough for me to shout God's praise in that large crowd of people that I don't know. My natural inclination is to drift toward the wall silently.
It's not that I'm afraid of strangers (or preaching in front of a large group of people). Over the years, I have discovered that people are generally good. If you smile at someone, they will most likely smile back. If you treat someone else with respect, they will usually return the favor. The world over, people are people.
Being a person that processes life in an introverted way, however, I find that it is hard to interact with people I don't know. Expressing sincere thanks is too intimate a gesture to share with strangers. A polite thank you is okay to share with someone who holds the door or gives me my hamburgers in a sack at the drive-in. But a real, honest to goodness, "thank-you, you touched my heart and showed me God's grace” - that's a bit much.
Or is it?
Maybe, it is precisely what my shy-self needs. Perhaps, it is what we all need. When we give thanks to God among ALL people - of which strangers make up the largest segment - we are challenging an innate sense of tribalism. My people - my tribe - are the ones towards whom I naturally go. The ones that I'm most familiar with are also those for whom I’m most thankful. That is okay. It is a problem, however, when they are the ONLY ones for whom I express gratitude.
Giving thanks among the nations is an act of opening our heart to the broader world that God made. How awesome is our God to have made the human creature so diverse! Each of us has our own story, a unique set of experiences and dreams. We are differently abled and disabled. Varying perspectives and ideas guide each of us on a slightly different path.
It is all so amazing. If for no other reason, we should give thanks to God among the nations out of lasting gratitude to God for making such a diverse creation and humanity. If we are to believe the scriptural witness that God created humans in God's image, then with each new face we see a little more of God.
Exhausting - you bet! Rather cool, though, isn't it?
Prayer:
Creator of All, you created all the people of the earth in your image. Even if we don't always see or comprehend it, each person bears the mark of your life. Give me the courage to move beyond my comfort zone to get to know those who are strangers to me. Guide my words and actions so that may open more of my heart to you.
Through Christ, Amen.
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2018. Walt Lichtenberger