Eucharisteo . . . and the Delight of My Father

This photo – I don’t know if it speaks to any of you. It was hard to capture the image effectively.

This was the view above me while I was sitting at my outdoor table one afternoon during the Christmas break. I had been reading, and when I finished a chapter, I set the book down and laid my head back to look around.

It was beautiful. The colors! Can you see how blue that sky is? It’s a remarkable blue . . . a soft, gentle, clear blue. In the winter in Iowa, I would walk my daughter to the bus stop with snow on the ground all around us and notice that the sky was as white as the snow. I remember thinking that the world looked like an empty coloring book.

Not in Texas. Look at that blue, blue sky in December.

And the leaves. The green! Not all the trees around me have green leaves on them in the winter, but this big, beautiful live oak that I sit under in the backyard does, even in December. And the contrast of those green leaves against that blue sky with the sun shining down . . . I just found it breathtaking in the moment.

I’ve been re-reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. When I read it years ago, I was very inspired. On re-reading, I’m remembering her unusual writing style, and I find myself needing to skim sometimes, looking for a point . . .  Nevertheless, her big point, her theme – Eucharisteo – definitely echoed in my spirit while staring in awe at the green leaves against the blue sky.

Eucharisteo. It means “thanksgiving”. And yes, it’s where we get “Eucharist”, the word some denominations use for Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

We are supposed to live in Eucharisteo. Rejoicing always, praying continually, giving thanks in all things. (That’s in 1 Thessalonians.)

Back when I was reading this book for the first time, that seemed like a tall order to say the least. Always? In all things? Continually? 

I'm sure there were people back then who looked at my life from the outside and wondered what I could possibly NOT be thankful for. Overall, I had it pretty easy. I was a homeschooling mom -- no job outside the home. We lived in a big house and were financially secure. Even I, at the time, wondered sometimes at the stress I felt all day. But some burdens are external, and some are internal. In my mind back then, there was work, always work, so many responsibilities, so much obligation, so little time to notice the little things, the little gifts. So little mental or emotional bandwidth for thankfulness. 

But as I re-read sister Ann, I’m realizing that I have finally internalized some of her lessons. I do notice the gifts now. I love the soft, cozy sofa with the warm afghan to cuddle under. 

I savor the tantalizing flavors in the sriracha pork stir fry, even re-heated from the night before. 

I marvel for a moment at the flickering flame of the candle before I blow it out. 

I grin at the yelps of the neighborhood dogs greeting each other from their respective backyards.

I gaze at the glorious colors in the broad, beautiful sky above me. A gift. So many gifts! 

I do feel the delight of my Father now. His delight in his creation . . . his delight in sharing it with me . . . and his delight in me. 

Oh, thank you, Father. For the sofa, the sky . . . and the Eucharisteo.