Giving Our Very Best
“Giving thanks always and for everything…”
Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)
Sometimes God changes our plans. I had a very different blog post for today’s Bible Bits, but last night sitting in our evening worship service listening to the reading of God’s Word from Ephesians 5, God clearly imprinted today’s verse in my mind and on my soul. Just six words really, but strung together, those six works pack a powerful punch: “Give thanks always and for everything.”
I planned on resuming my Psalms study of suffering this morning, but Paul’s words quickly led me to Psalm 103, a veritable catalog of the many ways that God blesses his people. In just a few minutes, both my heart and today’s journal entry were full of the many blessings for which I am grateful.
The 11th annual Big Oak Ranch (BOR) Mom’s retreat hosted by the Big Oak Ranch Auxiliary (BORA) was held this weekend at the Worldsong Retreat Center at Cook Springs. Nineteen BOR house moms and a group of Auxiliary volunteers gathered for a weekend filled with both laughter and tears. We feasted on God’s Word with six hours of teaching from the book of Hebrews and then we feasted on delicious meals prepared by over fifty Auxiliary members.
Our weekend schedule had plenty of free time built in so that these busy moms could choose to take a hike or get a nap. A yoga session and a ropes course were also available for anyone interested in those activities. There were “get to know you sessions;” intense card games; and some heated board games that ran into the early morning hours each night. But our time together wasn’t all fun and games.
The book of Hebrews is written to a second generation of Christians who hadn’t seen Jesus personally or witnessed his many miracles. These believers were discouraged and faced both persecution from the Romans and isolation from the Jews. Many of them were tempted to return to Judaism and everything that was safe and familiar with their former lives. The anonymous author of Hebrews spends almost ten chapters reminding them that Jesus is better than everything they’ve left behind. He is better than Moses; better than Joshua; and better than the Law, tabernacle, and temple. Jesus gives us a better hope, better covenant, and better resurrection. In short, Jesus is better, better, better. And because he is better, better, better, we don’t go back, shrink back, or hold back; we hold on to Christ and live by faith. By God’s grace, we persevere and strive for a fixed focus (Hebrews 12:2); a firm stand; and a faithful finish.
In 1964, founder John Croyle rejected the riches of an NFL career and chose to begin a Christian group home ministry with five boys who needed a second chance for a Christian family. Fifty years later over 2000 children have called BOR “home.” Brodie and Kelly Croyle continue the important work that John and Tee Croyle began.
Ranch house parents are the backbone of this ministry. These moms and dads are on the front lines of doing really hard work. They deal not just with the grief, loss, and anger that usually accompany child abuse or abandonment, but also the discouragement that arises from fear, fatigue, frustration, and failure. Being a house parent is not for the fainthearted, but it is a high and holy calling that can result in changed lives and impact future generations.
I am so very grateful for the house moms and volunteers who made this weekend possible. Community, that reciprocal rootedness outlined in the New Testament “one another” commands, was created as we shared hugs, hearts, and hands. I’m thankful for the many diverse God-given gifts that were on full display:
the hands that arranged flowers, snapped photos, cooked meals; washed dishes, and took out trash;
the bodies that led hikes, ropes, or yoga sessions;
the lips that prayed intercessory prayers;
the tears that flowed freely over lives and losses;
the living and active Word of God that comforted, admonished, and encouraged us to keep going.
In 1944 the Hallmark Company launched a hugely successful branding campaign for their greeting cards with nine simple words: When you care enough to send the very best. That’s almost a great summary of our time together. Changing one word makes a big difference however: When you care enough to give your very best.
God gave His very best when He gave his only Son. (John 3:16) Thanks to all of you who gave your very best last weekend.