Despite the declared purpose of this coming Thursday, the next few days can easily slip into a hang-on-tight week. Already the newspaper ads are shouting to draw my attention to the Friday sales and away from thankfulness.
So before it gets past Tuesday, I'm pausing to reflect.
Somewhere this past week—likely in the book I'm editing—I again ran across Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ”
I thought of that verse as I read a thank-you card from someone whose manuscript I'd just critiqued at a writers conference. I'd taken maybe an hour to mark up the opening pages of her work in progress, then sat with her for twenty minutes and offered my comments. I was just doing my job.
But according to her note, her novel will be far better because of it.
For her part, the thank-you note she sent truly brightened my week. Because I'd taken significant time away from my office, I found my work piled higher than usual. And when that happens, discouragement lurks close by.
Then her thank-you note came. And a friend—someone I'd not seen in nearly ten years—called out of the blue. He'd be in town on a business trip. Would my wife and I like to join him for dinner? Across the table we reviewed nearly a decade's worth of opportunities, challenges, and God's faithfulness.
I'm not sure what kind of week my Minnesota friend is facing, but I hope it goes a little better when he gets the note I mailed him—just before I sat down to write this.
2 comments:
I'm thankful for a number of people who have offered tips and insights aimed at improving the quality of my writing. You're one of them, Andy. Sure, you're doing your job, but individuals with thankful hearts can't help being grateful for all those whom God sends our way with the exact objective input we need.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and to everyone else at Hartline.
Isn't it wonderful to see a little bit of thankfulness touch so many?
Happy Holidays!
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