Thanksgiving - 31 Days of Sabbath : 10

Sabbath is a nesting doll. Tucked inside are layered sibling concepts.

Mindfulness. Joy. Peace. Trust.

And at the heart of it all, thankfulness.

It is impossible to have true Sabbath without gratitude.

As I write this, my Canadian friends a few hundred miles to the north celebrate Thanksgiving. My mind naturally draws toward Ann Voskamp and her One Thousand Gifts.

What was it Ann said about eucharisteo, about how counting gifts slows the time?

When I fully enter time’s swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment.

And when I’m always looking for the next glimpse of glory, I slow and enter. And time slows. Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole of time’s river slows, slows, slows. ...

Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention. In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive, aware, accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here.

During Sabbath, time slows. We are present, aware of what we have, not what we need. Aware of what we've been given, not what we want. God's beauty surrounds us always, and during Sabbath, we suddenly see. Like the disciples on the mount, when we become fully awake, we behold his glory.

And our hearts pour out thanks upon thanks.