Most of my great insights that come after hours of study and meditation, turn out to be new articulations of wisdom I learned from living with my parents. Day after day, week after week, year after year, they patterned their faith. I learned about the riches of the gospel from the mundane atmosphere of every day living with parents who were trying to live out their faith.
In the early 90s, I began studying the Celtic Christians, hoping to mine new wisdom for living today. This study led to a series of Celtic retreats, which were really excuses for me to study and read more about them. While preparing for one retreat, I was overwhelmed by the sense of gratitude that shines out in their poems and prayers. This insight changed my prayer habits, and I found myself praying more slowly and more thankfully.
Prayers over meals shifted from some kind of magic rite to gain God’s blessing to a fresh opportunity to offer thanksgiving for God for His overwhelming goodness. I had discovered the riches of thanksgiving to God.
But then one day as I listened to my dad prayer, I noticed a long litany of thanksgivings. Everything you could imagine: good health, our house, our nation, our family, and the thanksgivings continued to rise. As I listened, I realized that this was the way he always prayed.
My new discovery in prayer emerged while I was studying the Celts, but now I realize this was simply an awakening to a pattern deeply ingrained in my consciousness. Now I realize that the pattern of my father’s continual stream of thanksgiving shaped me long before I was aware of it.
April 11, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Doug, I still have a letter I wrote to my dad in the late 1950’s when I was at Carson-Newman College. I thanked him for all the clothes he bought me growing up and even for the milk which was always in the refregerator whenever I wanted some. As I have aged to the my current 73 years, I can think of much more for which I am thankful. After visiting with you and Kelly last night I thanked God for your spiritual insight and for having such a close and tenderhearted wife. I thank God for our children, their spouses and our grand children. All are healthy and live close to us. This is a parent’s dream. I pray God’s blessing on you all. After all, you are my legacy. I desire nothing more but God’s blessing on us all.