Give Thanks and Laugh

At our Thanksgiving table, one of our nephews who works for the Army Corps of Engineers gave us good news: The probability of catastrophic flooding in the Green River Valley this winter is now estimated as only one chance in twenty-five.

Great news!??? How could the prospect of a reservoir failure resulting in catastrophic flooding be good news? The reason we give thanks there is “only” a one in twenty five probability of failure of the north abutment of the Howard Hansen Dam is that earlier this year, the risk was pegged at a one in three chance. King County and the cities of Auburn, Kent, Des Moines and Renton have been feverishly working to erect sandbag extensions on their levies. They have moved some city services out of the valley. They held public meetings to address various contingency plans. Worst case scenarios saw 20 to 30,000 people needing shelter because their homes are under water.

Of course, the Corps has been working on emergencies fixes to the problem. Recently the remediation work had progressed far enough, the Corps revised their risk assessment. Now the flood risk is one in twenty-five. Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. We are grateful there is only a one in twenty-five chance of flooding.

One way gratitude happens in our lives is for happy changes to happen unexpectedly. This can either be some unexpected benefit or the avoidance of an expected unpleasantness. Life has a way of rearranging our perspective.

This idea is captured in Psalm 107 which begins, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.”

Verse 4 pictures some people most apt to give thanks:

Some wandered in the trackless desert. . . . They were hungry and thirsty, and had given up all hope. In their trouble they called to the Lord, and he saved them out of their distress. The Psalmist concludes, “They ought to give thanks to the Lord for his constant love, for the wonderful things he has done for them. He satisfies those who are thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.”

There is nothing like starving to heighten one’s appreciation of food. There is nothing like running out of water on a blazing hot afternoon in the desert to make you appreciate water.

Later in the Psalm, the writer talks about people who’ve gone to sea in a sail boat and gotten caught in a terrifying storm. The waves look like mountains. The winds are howling. They are sure they’re going to die. When finally the storm passes and they make it into a harbor, they give thanks.

It rings true, doesn’t it?

Have you ever gone to the doctor and been told you need a biopsy? No matter how reassuring your doctor tries to be, the fact that you have had a biopsy puts you on pins and needles. Life seems very precarious, fragile.

When you finally get word that it’s not cancer, that there’s nothing to worry about, for a little while at least life is suddenly rosier and bright. You are grateful for the mere fact of being alive.

The stern difficulties of life become the occasions of our greatest joy.

I remember running down a steep trail three or four years ago. It was after dark. In the less-than-ideal-illumination given by my headlamp, I misjudged a step and was suddenly airborne. Not good. I landed on my back in a dry creek bed with my head against a rock. I lay there stunned, sure I was seriously injured. I waited for the waves of pain. When they did not immediately come, I tried moving my arms and legs. They worked. I felt my head where it had been against the rock. There was no blood. Not even a bump. I squirmed up out of the tangle of brush, logs and rocks and slowly got to my feet. Other than a few scratches and the shaky feeling of too much adrenaline pumping, I was fine. I retrieved my head lamp, climbed back up to the trail and kept moving. Overflowing with gratitude.

It’s easy to give thanks when life hands us drama.

It is more difficult to remain keenly aware of the blessings are flow routinely through our lives.

Part of our work as a church is to practice giving thanks. We deliberately cultivate an awareness of the goodness God sends our way. We give thanks for food and water. We give thanks for warm clothes and houses that shield from the weather. We give thanks we have money and freedom. One characteristic of spiritual maturity is the habit of giving thanks in all circumstances, as Paul puts it.

Times of scarcity and threat naturally prompt gratitude. However, we don’t have to wait for trouble to ambush us and make us aware of our blessings.

One habit church teaches is saying a blessing or saying grace at meals. The point of saying grace at meals is to cultivate our own awareness of the treasure that food is. Whether the food is boiled potatoes and peas–not my favorite meal–or stir fry with Napa cabbage, tofu, peppers, potatoes and curry powder or pumpkin pie, for those who are aware, the food is reason for great thanksgiving. It is a marvelous bounty, a gift from heaven.

When we stop and say grace we add gratitude to the blessings of flavor and nutrition. The food becomes an occasion of communion with God, an occasion of joy.

(If you're interested in my own use of food as part of my meditation practice see my blog for Oct. 29 titled "Mediation on Morning Coffee and Cookies.")

When we come to church, we practice counting the blessings that God sends our way. Blessings of family, shelter, food, clothing, religious liberty, political freedom, the affection of pets, the glories of nature. We practice thanksgiving.

We know not all is well in the world. We know there is an enemy of life, happiness and holiness afoot in the world. We also know he is on the losing side. Every victory he achieves sets another triumph by God. His most diabolical accomplishments are twisted by God’s creativity into the raw material of something beautiful. The ultimate demonstration of this creativity of God is his use of the Devil's animosity against Jesus to set up the salvation of the world! Judas' treachery becomes a cog in the wheel of redemption!

So we laugh. We are joyful. We are full of gratitude. God reigns. God wins. And we stand with God. So ultimately we, too, win. We are a community of triumphant joy.

Back to Psalm 107.

“Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom because they had rebelled. Then they cried to the Lord and he saved them. . . . let them give thanks” (verses 10-15).

“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities . . . then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them. Let them give thanks . . .” (verses 17-22).

Notice in these verses the problems these people face are problems of their own creation. These people have failed morally and spiritually. They could have been avoided the mess they are in by simply obeying the rules. Still when they cry out to God, God responds. God delivers them and restores them to joy.

God is greater than our moral and spiritual failures. We screw up. And because of our screw ups we are filled with discouragement and despair. How could I have been so stupid, so selfish, so blind? We take out our guilt sticks and beat ourselves up. Undestandably. Sometimes we truly are guilty. We don’t just feel guilty. We have harmed others. We have damaged ourselves.

Then we cry to God out of our distress and he comes and forgives us. He reaches out his hand and pulls us to our feet and invites to us to live again. God is not made helpless by our failures.

He makes us glad again. He teaches us to laugh.

Some people are constantly talking about the evil one, about the enemy. They talk of spiritual warfare as if it were a risky, dangerous endeavor whose outcome is in doubt. If the battle is between God and the devil, between goodness and evil, between light and darkness, there is no question about the final outcome. We step into the battle roaring with laughter. Even if we are cut down by the enemy, our cause will triumph. If we are committed to truth, justice and mercy–we win. Period. If it turns out that in some way we were actually misguided, and our efforts were pointed in the wrong direction–even that does not disqualify us from participation in the victory of God. Our highest commitment is to his cause, not our understanding of our precise place in it. God will win. Mercy and truth will triumph. Justice will be secured. Guaranteed. There is no possibility of failure for those who give themselves to God.

Some of us are a bit clumsy. We make resolutions and break them. We make great plans and stumble in their execution. Instead of gnashing your teeth and berating yourself, laugh! And go at it again. God’s cause is moving on. It will sweep you into the kingdom. So you tripped-- So you got off track -- So, for awhile you were headed the wrong direction -- What else is new? Turn around. Get up and rejoin the movement of God.

God will use even your stumbles as occasions for demonstrating his goodness and for embarrassing the enemy.

So, in all circumstances, give thanks. Practice giving thanks daily. Evening and morning. Say grace at meals–both on formal occasions and those times when you use a peanut butter sandwich to stave off collapse.

Say thanks. Give thanks. Be joyful.

Why not?