For What Was, Is, and Is To Come
Table Talk
Setting the Table
Come to the table. Pull up a seat. Be aware of this very moment. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell, taste, feel? Right now, you are here, and all that you ever were, all that you ever experienced – all the joy, pain, relief, and sorrow – has brought you here. Take a moment to be thankful for all that has been before that has led you here, to this moment.
Consider that this precious and present moment is fleeting – there will never be another exactly like it.
“For all that has been, ‘Thank you.’ For all that is to come, ‘Yes!’”
- Dag Hammarskjold
Matthew 6:25-26
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Food for Thought
I don’t usually dream in my sleep, but when I do, it’s almost always the same dream:
It’s the last day of the semester, and I realize there’s a class I haven’t attended at all—I’m not even sure what building it’s in! So, I panic. I run all over campus trying to remember where this class is meeting, trying to convince myself it’ll be fine, that I’ll make it, that I won’t fail the class—and therefore, somehow, ruin my life. However, just as I’m about to walk through the door of the classroom, I wake up.
In my semi-conscious state, I’m anxious, worried that I’ve messed everything up. Did I really fail that class? Is my life ruined now? I have to intentionally wake myself up and remind myself that I graduated from college nearly two decades ago, and that I’ve also completed two other degrees since, so there’s no way I’m going to fail. There’s no way my life is over because of some mistake I made in the past. The past can’t hurt me—especially the past of my dreams.
Many times I have to intentionally remind myself that the past is just that—the past. It wasn’t all great, and I definitely made more than my share of mistakes, but it’s over, gone, and there isn’t a thing I can do to change it. Everything that happened then has led to now. And I have so much for which to be thankful.
Lately, I’ve taken to telling myself that there’s really no use in worrying about a past I can’t change or a future I can’t control, so it’s best to simply be present, to be thankful for the moment I’m in now and reflect on all that has led me to it. It may sound a bit simplistic, but I’ve found that it creates in me a real sense of gratitude. I’ve found that I can find ways to be grateful for the hard times of my youth—when my family struggled, when it felt like I was stuck in a cycle. I’ve found that I can be grateful for the pain of loss, like the loss of my grandmother, because that pain means I was loved.
I’ve found that every step along my journey has led to this moment, and when I stop to take this moment in—whether I’m sitting at my kitchen table eating dinner with my family, or ankle deep in a creek with a fly rod in my hand, or bent over the hood of my truck fixing an oil leak, or sitting in a sanctuary as a choir sings a moving anthem—I cannot help but be filled with gratitude for all that has come before and led to this moment. I pray that in the days to come, I can look back on these moments—however they may come—with gratitude as well.
Pause. Think about all the moments that have shaped you, led you to this moment in which you find yourself now. How have the good times molded you into the person you are now? How have those tougher, darker, more difficult times shaped you? Are you at a place where you can say, “For all that has been, ‘Thank you’”?
This week, take time to be present, to be thankful for all that is. Take time to remember all that has been. Can you have gratitude for all that has been and the ways you’ve grown in light of it all?
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
Eternal God, the One who was, is, and is to come,
For all that has been, we give you thanks. Help us find gratitude in every step that has led to this moment. Help us to not be consumed by frustration over a past we cannot change, or the fear of a future we cannot control.
May we live in this present moment, filled with gratitude, so that we may, in love, show others how to live with gratitude for what was, is, and is to come. In the name of the ever-present and loving Christ we pray, Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Think about a time in your life that has shaped you, and brought you to this very moment; it can be a small change or a big move. Can you look back on it with gratitude?
Are there things in your past that still weigh heavily on your soul? Can seeing those things as steps along the journey to where you are now help you release them with gratitude? Share your thoughts with a friend.
Think about those moments that seemed so huge at the time, but have had less of an impact on your life than you anticipated. Think of those things that seemed small, inconsequential, yet have made deep and lasting impressions on your life. Discuss how your gratitude and acknowledgment of those moments help you to find gratitude for every present moment.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Show your kids old pictures of you, then pictures of them, and talk about what you each might have been thinking or feeling when those pictures were taken. Ask them what they think may be different now from when the pictures were taken.
Take time, maybe at dinner, to ask them what they’re really thankful for right now. Encourage them to look around the room, to think about what they have, who their friends are, what they like at school.
Ask them how or if they think they’ll remember this day in a week, a month, a year. What turns a day into a moment or a memory that they’ll have for years to come?
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
Chris Thomas serves as the Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Wilson, North Carolina. He and his wife, Sallie, are the parents of two energetic boys. Chris holds degrees from Samford University, Baylor University, and Mercer University and loves to spend time reading, being outside (especially as a beginning fly fisherman), and working with his hands. He loves telling stories, listening to stories, and sharing in the creation of stories by walking alongside others in this journey called life.
To hear more from Chris throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
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