Savour, Breathe, and Rest
A Thanksgiving encouragement for you
Dear Friends,
I am writing to you all from western Pennsylvania, just outside of Johnstown. My wife’s hometown. It’s a small town surrounded by mountains. The leaves have long since fallen, and you can feel autumn shifting in her shawl.
The North Wind comes.
It is my favourite time of year. I think God made me for cold and storm. The mist and grey days don’t bother my heart. They invigorate it. An amble in the twilight is regular fare. A walk in the rain, a treat. A snow jaunt—a gift from heaven.
This evening, it was rain.
My Petzel headlamp was glowing red as I ran/walked to the country road, then to the creek beneath the pines, then up the hill near the misty pasture.
Tomorrow, we make the three-hour drive to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. For those of you who are new here, though I was born in Lexington, Virginia, and lived in Brooksville, Florida, until I was 12, I would tell you, if we were having tea together, that Lititz, Pennsylvania, is home.
Most of my siblings—there are five of us, three boys, two girls—will assemble tomorrow at Papa’s house, which is attached to my youngest sister’s farmhouse. All totaled, there are 16 grandchildren between the five of us.
My oldest sister will stay in Fort Collins, Colorado. But it will still be a raucous house for a few days. Just the way we like it.
Breathe in the Moments
Are you driving tomorrow?
Are you prepping Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow—local grocery runs, Trader Joe’s, Costco—snagging that cheap live garland roll on your way to the checkout?
Are you already in wintering mode and staying home?
Are you just starting your holiday traditions this week—newly married or newly on your own?
I remember even when I had my own apartment in my twenties, living with my bandmates, and back from a fall tour, I’d always be at Mom and Dad’s, doing, well, not much of anything, except taste testing on kitchen fly-bys.
Maybe you’re like me, and you come alive right about now, embracing cold walks like your morning cup of coffee.
The beauty of this season, and really, any season, is the variety of it all. We all have our “thing” we do. It’s what makes us, us.
And that is comforting because it reminds us that God is the God of variety and abundance.
But I also know that, as nostalgic as the season is and gets, we all face the very real pull of weariness. Almost like gravity pulling us into the floor.
We fill up the weekends and weeknights. We're running everywhere.
And living and doing is part of the loving, part of the being, part of the fun, part of the season.
But if we’re not careful, the wave of rush-rush-rush can sneak up on us and pull us under.
So, this is your slightly eccentric big brother whispering in your inbox today:
Hey friend, take a breath. Don’t miss the moment on account of the sale at Home Goods.
Be here, now.
Because these are the misty days. Stark with browns. Stars high and shimmering—winter constellations moving into place.
The rhythms of creation speak to us. God made it so. And the rhythms possess purpose, a telos, and aim.
That’s why all of the deep and cozy “feelings” are not for nothing. They are, quite literally, for you.
In the season, savour—be in the moment. Let it speak to you.
And you’ll hear the tender voice of God. The field-brook voice calling you to breathe and rest.
And do you know what else?
Nostalgia leads to thanksgiving.
If you’ve been tracking with me the last few weeks and had the chance to listen to my podcast with my dear friend, Edie Wadsworth, you will have heard me discuss the power of nostalgia.
When I recount my walk to you, I’m not just waxing poetic.1 I’m remembering.
In the Hebrew idiom, remembering was central to their theology. They remembered to keep God’s goodness to them ever-present when things were hard.
On my walk, I experienced an overwhelming sense of “the moment.” I felt the memory being made, which fired a chain reaction in my mind. Each step in the rain threw me back to my time living in Oxford, England. How many times did I walk in the rain at twilight?
A lot.
As I remembered that blessed time, a smile stretched across my cold, wet face. And I whispered, “Thank you, Lord.”
Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be complicated. Just look around you. And look around the halls of your memory. Remember.
Remember God.
Remember his kindnesses to you. Remember how he carried you when the hard times came.
Maybe today, you’re waking up, and you’re not very excited for Thanksgiving because you are suffering quietly, alone. Maybe your family feels distant. Maybe your work has you feeling defeated.
This, then, is the exact moment to lean in to thanksgiving. Nothing fancy. Just a “Thank you, Lord,” for the good things rising in your memory.
If you need inspiration, read these verses aloud, and let their simple words of gratitude wash over:
Psalm 9:1: “I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”
Psalm 28:7: “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
Psalm 34:1: “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.”
Psalm 86:12: “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.”
Psalm 95:2: “Come into his presence with thanksgiving; sing psalms of praise to him.”
Psalm 100:4: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Psalm 107:8-9: “Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Psalm 136:1-3: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.”
Psalm 138:1: “I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.”
Psalm 150:6: “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
I am remembering with you, this week, friends. I am taking the time, even with the pressures of life looming and doing their best to divert me from the present and The Presence.
I am singing in my heart of all the wonderful things God has given to my family and me. And I’m thanking him for what he has given all of us, through his beautiful works of creation.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May the Lord bless you and keep you—his face shine upon—his goodness be upon you and your family.
All the best,
Tim.
A Special Advent Series for You
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This is one of my favourite words in Greek. Because it is the verb poieo. We get our word poem from it. But in Greek, it’s a verb for doing or making, and it’s used all the time by the New Testament writers. There’s also a noun version, like when Paul reminds us that we are God’s “workmanship.” That word in Greek is a form of poieo. So, if you think poetry is just for literary types, think again. YOU, my friend, are a work of God’s poieses—a living poem, and everything you do contributes a line to your verse.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder! It’s so easy to get caught up in all the doing that we forget to just BE in His presence. My husband and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage this weekend. Our anniversary falls on the first Sunday of Advent this year—my favorite season! I too love the cold, wind and rain! (Although we don’t get very cold here in the South.) I’m so grateful for the seasons and rhythms of life. God is so good to make us in His divine image! How can your heart not be filled with joy when you look at the face of your loved one, knowing you’re looking at the face of God!
Have to share this! Thank you so much - this post was a great grace to read this Thanksgiving. Sensing the invitation from the Holy Spirit to be intentional to Savour, breathe and rest this coming Advent.