…and joyfully giving thanks to the Father… (Colossians 1:11-12, NIV)
When Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson met for their much-ballyhooed Match after Thanksgiving, the logo for the event showed silhouettes of each man—silhouettes of their greatest golfing joys. For Woods, we saw his oft-given fist pump; for Mickelson, it was his winner’s leap, two arms extended above his head after winning the 2004 Masters, his first major.
Both men would likely tell you that these are not their greatest joys in life. They are fathers, after all. But when you spend so much of your life pushing in the direction of competitive victory, whether you are a regular headline-maker or an unheralded journeyman finally getting your first win, joy spills out. It comes with a whoop, a hug, sometimes tears. What it doesn’t always do is last.
If I work and work to reach a goal, placing all my stock in my strength, ability, and discipline, whom will I thank when it is over?Many readers will be aware of Bernhard Langer’s dissatisfaction only hours after winning his first major, also the Masters, in 1985. He’s not the only one. Reaching the pinnacle we’ve been aiming for may validate our work, but too often it shows the goal itself to be wanting. The pleasure fades quickly.
The gap between accomplishment and lasting satisfaction may be the lack of someone to thank. If I work and work to reach a goal, placing all my stock in my strength, ability, and discipline, whom will I thank when it is over? Myself? Maybe I didn’t set my goal high enough. Maybe it was the wrong goal entirely. No wonder my satisfaction disappears!
When Paul prayed for the Colossians that their lives would be better as those whose faith was in Jesus, he asked that they would experience a joyful view of what was happening to them and around them. But this was not be a suspended joy, alone as a reference point in their spirits. Rather, it was to be a joy that produced thanksgiving, and this thanksgiving would be directed to God, the Father, “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).
True thanksgiving is a humble act. It recognizes that so much comes from outside ourselves. In fact, as our trust in God increases, we begin to understand how nothing comes from within ourselves. We may demonstrate a visible strength to the outside world, by musculature or constitution. But we did not design the skeleton that supports these muscular fibers; we did not instill this fortitude or provide the experiences to establish it. God did this. All of it. For that, we give him thanks!
—
Jeff Hopper
December 14, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Praying for Better 1: Intentionality
Praying for Better 2: Knowledge
Praying for Better 3: Worthy Lives
Praying for Better 4: Bearing Fruit
Praying for Better 5: Growing in the Knowledge of God
Praying for Better 6: Power
Praying for Better 8: Our Motivation