I was working on the road recently and flew home late one evening. I picked a window seat thinking it would be fine. The middle seat was empty which meant I could stretch out, lift up the armrest and sleep sprawled over two seats – an unexpected luxury after a long day of meetings. Oops! My plan was thwarted after a football player took the middle seat (and part of mine), and suddenly I was no longer fine. I was cramped and bordering on ornery... especially since my “free” texting wasn’t working!
I failed to see that my 90-minute plane ride, while growing more uncomfortable by the minute, was far better than driving home for 15 hours and being forced to grab coffee every few hours at random truck stops to stay awake. Some days I’m not very thankful. I complain about the smallest inconveniences while forgetting my biggest blessings.
““It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.””
God tells us we’re supposed to be thankful in everything. We often take that to mean we should be thankful for the hard things, the tough things, the broken things. Yes, we need to be better at that. However, “in everything give thanks” also means we need to be thankful for our blessings – getting to lead an organization, influencing the lives of those who we work with, using our minds and exercising our God given gifts.
The Apostle Paul wrote a powerful letter to a group of his friends in Philippi while locked in a jail cell and chained to a Roman guard: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
I felt like Paul was looking straight at me in my cramped window seat with malfunctioning text messaging service – completely ungrateful for the luxury of air travel and the ability to return to my family faster. After a moment of reflection I was able to reset my perspective and find gratitude for that squished seat.
When all is said and done, my prayer this season for myself and for you is that we’ll be thankful for God’s love for us, no matter the situations we find ourselves in. Thankful He chose us before birth to be in relationship with him. Thankful He put us on earth to proclaim his love to others in the marketplace.
Now, how about pressing pause on your agenda for just 6 minutes and 24 seconds? Join Hillsong worship in singing “Thank you Jesus, you set me free, you’ve given me life, you’ve opened my eyes, you’ve set me apart, I love you Lord…”
This Thanksgiving, from all of us at Convene, know that we are thankful for each of you. Together, we can reclaim Monday to Friday for the kingdom of God by setting an example of being thankful for EVERYTHING.
May God reveal to you the many blessings – big and small – we each have to be thankful for.
About the Author
Greg Leith
Greg Leith is the CEO of Convene. He was born in Canada and lived in all four corners of North America. His career spans over 35 years of senior leadership roles in corporate, non-profit and academic sectors. Recently, he served as Director of Strategic Alliances for 13 years at Biola University in California.