Forget Not What You've Already Got

We roll our eyes each year and snark that the kids get so much stuff for Christmas that they can’t even remember what all they got. By the time they have Christmas with their own parents, then both sets of grandparents, and all the aunts and uncles, they’ve got a mountain of toys and clothes and no idea what all they’ve amassed under the piles of boxes and wrapping paper.

But this morning, I found myself in the quiet of the basement, fixing my morning joe with the surprise gift of my favorite Harry and David coffee that was in my stocking. I’m wearing the new pants my mother gave me, and on my arm, as I stir the coffee, tinkle the little charms that my father bought me for my new charm bracelet. They weren’t on my “list;” yet he surprised me with perfect choices: a tiny passport, a little globe, and a family tree to remind me of my roots no matter where else I may travel.

I’ve got books to read and kitchen gadgets to go back to my apartment in Spain. I’ve got some more Maryland decor, games to play with friends, and of course, American candy and chocolate that I particularly like. As I rooted through the large box in which I’d consolidated all my loot, I realized I had things that I’d seen yesterday but already half-forgotten were in that box, and with that sudden realization, I laughed at myself for being no different than the children in my family.

How human it is to have something precious one minute and forget it the next. We get excited, but it’s so short-lived. And then we’re on to the next thing. Even after the fun and surprise of all the Christmas gifts yesterday, we’ll go out shopping today to spend more money, get more stuff (Hey, it’s 70% off at Old Navy!), and possibly exchange the stuff we didn’t really like in the first place.

That’s why a heart of gratitude takes effort. It takes intentional focus and deliberate choice to sit still in the middle of the “getting” and just reflect on the magnitude of what we’ve already got. Psalm 103 is a song for those who, like kids on Christmas, sometimes forget all that they’ve been given.

Praise the Lord, my soul;  all my inmost being, praise his holy name.   Praise the Lord, my soul,  and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins  and heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit   and crowns you with love and compassion,  who satisfies your desires with good things  so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (verses 1-5)

The entire hymn is 22 verses of praise for all that God IS, all He’s DONE, and all He’s GIVEN us. David ends this psalm in anthemic proclamation: Praise the Lord, you angels! Praise the Lord, you who do His work! Praise the Lord, heavenly hosts! Praise the Lord, all His works!

And then finally, with the quiet certainty of man who knows his own limited attention span, he turns inward and reminds himself one more time, “Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

May you be blessed with giving and receiving and REMEMBERING in the coming days.