A tragedy
left a family with a void that nothing could fill. A toddler chasing a cat
wandered into the road and was run over by a delivery truck. A 4-year-old
watched in shocked silence as her parents cradled the lifeless body of her
little sister. For years, the cold emptiness of that moment encased the family
in sadness. Feelings were frozen. The only comfort was numbness. Relief was
unimaginable.
Author
Ann Voskamp was the 4-year-old, and the sorrow surrounding her sister’s death
formed her view of life and God. The world she grew up in had little concept of
grace. Joy was an idea that had no basis in reality.
As a
young mother, Voskamp set out to discover the elusive thing the Bible calls
joy. The words for joy and grace come from the Greek word chairo, which
she found out is at the center of the Greek word for thanksgiving. Could it
be that simple? she wondered. To test her discovery, Voskamp decided to
give thanks for 1,000 gifts she already had. She started slowly but soon gratefulness was
flowing freely.
Just as
Jesus gave thanks before, not after, raising Lazarus from the dead (John
11:41), Voskamp discovered that giving thanks brought to life feelings of joy
that had died along with her sister. Joy comes from thanksgiving.
The joy
of living comes from a heart of thanksgiving. (RBC)
