Eucharisteo

Thanksgiving. My friend Ann Voskamp calls it "eucharisteo" and she says it always precedes the miracle. Thanksgiving, all wrapped up in joy and grace.

Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish while the disciples looked on and shook their heads. If I'd been there, I would have chewed on my fingernails while I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I would have scanned the crowd of five thousand hungry men and my heart would have turned to lead in my chest. Later, when I walked through the crowd with the rest of the disciples and gathered up the leftovers, I imagine I would have held my hand to my heart to keep it from jumping right out of my chest - amazed to find leftovers scattering the ground.

And that evening, when we sat around the campfire and retold the story of how Jesus took what amounted to nothing and used it to fill us all to overflowing - that's when I'd finally remember that first, Jesus had taken those five loaves of bread and two fish, raised them to heaven and told God "thank you." And the air would have changed around me.

Sometimes God shows up in ways that make me have to stand real still and shut my mouth and close my eyes and hold my hand to my heart to keep it from jumping right out of my chest. It doesn't happen like that all the time, but when it does, it feels like someone dusted the air with rainbow colored sprinkles.

This Thanksgiving, may you have moments like these. Where your words aren't enough and your heart does flips in your chest and the air around you changes and fills you up with delight. May you experience miraculous moments, and may you be filled with gratitude - wrapped up in joy and grace. May what you have be just enough, and may you find yourself rushing to the table to lift your eyes toward heaven so that you can tell God "thank you."

~~~

With gratitude to Ann. First, because she is a true and dear friend. And secondly, for writing it all down in her book, One Thousand Gifts. For living and sharing with us this hard lesson of eucharisteo that calls us to dig down deep and find God right there - in the hard places we'd rather not go. 

Click on the photo to learn more about Ann's book, and maybe pick up a copy for yourself, or for a friend.

May I please just tell you how much I appreciate you for linking up yesterday for my very first Sunday link-up? Your Sunday posts were amazing! You made me cry the good cry. Thank you.

I've got two fabulous guest posts lined up this week. I hope you'll come back and enjoy them.
And today, I'm linking up with Michelle, over at Graceful.