Gratitude's Dress

 (by Lorie Codispoti)

During this time of year, many people attempt to set aside all the difficulties faced since the last holiday season. After all, lamenting doesn’t go with a festive spirit, and sorrow is certainly no friend at the Thanksgiving table. But when we closet our pain in order to put on a happy face, all we really do is change into a costume that allows us to mascaraed our way through an event. After the party’s over, we exchange the pretty dress for the everyday clothes that show the reality of life’s wear and the stains that mark the weariness of our trials.

So, what should we wear to the holidays? Is it possible for heartache and joy to coexist? I believe so.

What we need is an outfit that will showcase Joy without sacrificing the heartache that accompanies real life - something that will present a balance between the fake happy face and the depressed downer.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1Thess.5:16-18)

In this chapter Paul is exhorting the Christians to live in a state of readiness as they await the Lord’s return. And that readiness includes being awake, sober and watchful (vs.6-8). Along with reminding them of their security in Christ (vs.9-10), he instructs them on how to treat one another (vs.11-15). Then he addresses their personal worship (vs.16-22). It’s right in the middle of this section that we read, “in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God…” (vs.18).

You know, I’ve heard a lot of people say that we need to be thankful for ______ (whatever calamity befalls us). That we need to see the thing that causes us pain as a gift. And my response is always the same… NOOOOO!!! I simply cannot thank God for the disease that has wreaked havoc on my body these last few years. To view it as a gift from God? Never! God did not create sickness and disease. He didn’t gift us with the pain and suffering that goes along with a tragic car accident, a fire that crumbles a building and kills innocent lives, brutal wars, violent crime, cancer, etc. That is not the God I read about in Scripture and I simply cannot thank Him for the consequences of living in a broken world.

There is much to be thankful for, however.

Look at verse 18 again. There’s something monumental in Paul’s instruction to the Christian believer… “in everything give thanks.” The key is in that first little, seemingly insignificant, and often overlooked word... "in." Paul isn’t telling us that God’s will is for us to be thankful “FOR” everything, but rather “IN” everything. We all know that right thinking leads to right living, so if necessary, let this truth cause a paradigm shift in the way you interpret life.

Paul doesn’t gloss over hardships. He doesn’t excuse them away or pretend they aren’t there. He’s not wearing a mask to cover up his pain. He’s using the pain to reveal the goodness of God in the midst of his suffering. If you read through his list of perils in 2Corinthians11:23-30 (beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, weariness, hunger, etc.), you will find the example of a man who, despite his dire circumstances, on every occasion, finds a Reason to be thankful IN his hard place.

How is that even possible?

The same way it’s possible for the Proverbs 31 woman to joy in the days ahead when her life is filled with trials? The answer is found in her closet, ladies. This woman has chosen to wear a scarlet dress with purple accents made with fine linen. (Vs.21-22)

Did you know that the Hebrew word for gratitude translates to “recognizing the good”? And, the Greek word for thanks finds its root in “grace.” We give thanks to God as a response to His unmeasurable grace poured out to us “IN everything.”

Gratitude is not something we work up. It’s rooted in an Object. Our affection is in response to the One who gave first. He is the Object of our worship and we "recognize the good" in every circumstance. Paul, the Proverbs 31 woman, and us; we all have the ability to lift our heads in praise, not because we’re thankful for the hard things that have happened to us, but because of the only One with the ability to infuse us with a supernatural joy that sees Him as greater and more wonderful than all our suffering.

So, what does Gratitude wear to the party? The most beautiful dress in her closet, of course! The one with the visible stains that have been dipped in the scarlet blood of Christ. The one that does not include a mask to cover the pain. Gratitude smiles at the days to come because her countenence radiates the glory of the One who collects all her tears in His bottle (Psa.56:8).

Your heart may be filled with great sorrow this holiday season, but if the Object of your gratitude is the Maker of your dress, then rest assured, it will not disappear at the stroke of midnight. On the contrary, your dress will become more and more radiant because you’ve chosen to model the beauty of Christ “IN everything.”

Anti-venom

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ve never been bitten by a snake (thankfully), but it’s not because we lack an ample supply.

We live in the woods, with a creek running through our property; and we burn wood so there is a large wood pile near the house. It’s an ideal environment for small critters (mice, lizards, birds, frogs, etc.), a delectable smorgasbord for any slithering reptile who decides to make his home near ours.

The reason we have avoided being bitten is simple: awareness and training. Our children were educated on what to look for and how to avoid getting too close when they spotted any snake. Our dog also helped, as he instinctively would put himself between the kids and the snake when he sensed one nearby. I even trained myself to differentiate between their sound and that of a lizard moving through the leaves. (I have really good hearing.) Of course, our methods aren’t foolproof, but we have successfully avoided some really close calls.

The Bible describes Satan in a variety of ways, one of which is the serpent who bit Adam and Eve in the Garden. They were unaware of how deadly this creature was, and rather than avoiding him they got close enough to be injected with his deadly venom.

You don’t have to be a Christian for very long before you encounter the most dangerous creature ever created. While we can (and should) make every attempt to educate ourselves on how to avoid crossing his path, we will inevitably wrestle with the serpent and feel his fangs penetrate our skin. The only hope, at that point, will be anti-venom.

Did you know that, worldwide, two million people are bitten by snakes every year? Ten thousand of those cases come from Nigeria, where people are killed by the venom from the aggressive Nigerian carpet viper. In the United States, Thomasville, Georgia is the place to avoid if you suffer from ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). It’s the rattlesnake capital of America, with local hospitals treating snake bite victims every day. Again, the answer lies within the neutralizing properties of anti-venom, so every year a nearby town has a “rattlesnake round up” where they gather and milk their venom so that it can be used to create an antidote.

One sheep owner wrote this on a post I recently read: “A rattlesnake bit one of my sheep in the face about a week ago. It’s the deadliest snake that lives around here. The sheep’s face swelled up and hurt her terribly. But the old rattlesnake didn't know the kind of blood that flows through the sheep. The sheep swelled for about two days but the blood of the lamb destroyed the venom of the serpent. I was worried but the sheep didn't care. She kept on eating, kept on drinking and kept on climbing because she knew she was alright.” (Jeremy Roop)

For almost a century, anti-venom was created using horse blood, but 40% of people injected would have an allergic reaction, with some even dying. So researchers began experimenting and discovered that antivenin made with sheep’s blood only had a 1% allergic response.

Do you see what I see? The Lamb’s blood overcomes the deadly venom injected by the serpent - and though the sheep may still suffer adverse effects, it’s a temporary condition due to the fact that the poison has been neutralized.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn.1:29)

Our Savior spilled His own blood, reversing the death sentence rendered in the garden. And for those infused with the blood of the Lamb, there is no need to fear the venom from Satan's bite. “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters” because the head of the serpent has been severed and all his works destroyed by the finished work of the cross.

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