Reflect

Jacob pushed his luck too far with Esau by stealing not only his brother’s birthright but his father’s blessing as well. With Esau bent on revenge, Jacob must run away to save his own skin. During his flight, he receives extraordinary news from God—God’s plans for Jacob are that he will receive the land and that his descendants will populate the earth. Overwhelmed by his vision, Jacob spontaneously worships God with a ceremony and the promise to give back a tenth of all God gives him.

For too many of us, worship is something we do each week out of habit. It is a matter of “I have to” or “I should.” (Come to think of it, how many of us actually tithe a tenth of our earnings, and how many of us grappled with whether the 10 percent should be based on our pre-tax or post-tax income?) But have you ever worshipped God because you were compelled to from the depths of your being, because you couldn’t not worship God? Usually it takes a special event for this to happen: the birth of a child or the recovery of a loved one from a serious illness or a dangerous circumstance.

How can we consistently muster the depth of feeling in our worship that Jacob felt? If we could manage this feat, we would greatly enrich our relationship with God. One way is by giving thanks every day. How many things can you list that you’re thankful for? We typically carry to God our want-lists and concerns. But how often do we talk to God just because we want to say, “Thank you”? It takes practice to become thanks-offeror’s, but it is important that we work at becoming more spontaneous in our thankfulness. We love to hear from others that they’re grateful for something good we’ve done. Guess what? God feels the same way, too.

—Carol Penn-Romine

Question

1. If you were in Jacob’s position—having sinned against your brother twice and run away from home—how would you feel about God making such lavish promises to you?
2. How do you feel when someone is truly grateful to you for something you’ve done? Can you envision God feeling good about your showing gratitude for God’s blessings?
3. Reflect on a time when you received something good after you had acted badly and you felt you did not deserve it.

Act

1. Write up a list of things for which you’re thankful. Add to it as new blessings come your way. Go to God with thanks for each item on your list. Strive to spend some time every day in thanksgiving.
2. Practice thanking other people for their acts of kindness. Sometimes there is no specific gesture to thank someone for, but you can still say, “Thank you for being my friend,” or “I appreciate your being such a good listener.”

Photo by Alex Woods on Unsplash