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Introduction
I’ve been trying to do more walking these days. As I ponder how many physical steps I am taking, my thoughts have turned to how many times I express thanks. In a richly blessed life where each of us is trying to “get our steps in,” I wonder about getting my “thanks” in, and how these efforts might be steps to greater joy.
Note about the image: Is this the path ahead of you, or the one behind you?
My Mysterious Mind
Are you “getting your steps in?” That phrase has become part of normal conversations in recent years, thanks to pedometers and smartphone applications. I may use the phrase but it’s a bit hypocritical of me because I do not use any tech to monitor my physical steps. In fact, I dislike being a slave to any device, from my early years of wearing a watch, to the modern era of apps and smartwatches. When I used to wear a timekeeper on my wrist it was the FIRST thing I took off when I came home. I only recently began wearing the occasional bracelet, but mainly because I have lots of earrings and necklaces and really wanted to get more jewelry. But I digress…
What I have been pondering is how what I REALLY need is something that monitors how many times each day I am thankful for something, anything. Instead of a device that alerts me when I have been sitting too long, what about a prompt to be thankful for something when I had been grumbling too long? Being thankful, like being physically active, can be a habit. And both are good for your health.
Some psychology researchers invented a method of gathering thoughts throughout the day; this “thought sampling” is done with a device that alerts the participant at random times to document what they are thinking at that moment. Russell Hurlburt, is credited for inventing the beepers to use for thought sampling. This method could sample thoughts of thanks, worries, or whatever is one one’s mind.
Instead of a beeper alerting a research participant to write down what they are thinking, how about a way to prompt saying “thanks” at random times? Given that I am not interested in becoming a slave to an app or a device, my thinking is going towards some other method of reminding myself. What might that look like?
It’s important to “get my steps in” by moving my body but I’m pondering how to “get my thanks in” each day. Walking is a way of generating better health; giving thanks is a way of generating joy. When being thankful is a habit, natural joy is the outcome.
Message from Mystery Acres
I love to walk in the forest or along the gravel roads at the edges of it. Unaware of how many steps I am taking, or how far I am walking, I just take step after step until I go back to where I started, or around the loop to return to base. I joyfully climb over rough terrain, uphill and down. Sometimes a friend will go with me, adorned with smartwatch or pedometer, and give a report of the number of steps we’ve taken. I have no interest in knowing, because counting steps in the forest seems unnatural to me.
I walk in the forest with a spontaneous gratitude. Each step is made without counting or measuring it because each step brings another part of the forest into view. I’m looking for wildflowers or rocks, listening for birds or the wind in the trees, all cues for thankfulness. I lose any thoughts of problems I need to solve or injuries I want to heal; I just take step after step, generating joy with each one.
It’s hard to walk and generate joy in the same way on asphalt paths, concrete sidewalks, or the monotonous terrain of a treadmill. Instead of looking for the mysteries of the forest, my focus shifts to my steps and how much farther I have to go. Steps of thankfulness are so easy in the forest but so difficult in the concrete and asphalt jungle of modern life. When I’m not in the forest, my thoughts more easily shift to noticing what’s wrong around me or worry about the unknown ahead of me. These darker thoughts generate a grumbly state of being, not a joyful one.
The message of Mystery Acres calls to us to walk in wonder, focusing on the endless joys along the path of each step we take. In the forest I can look for flowers, birds, rocks, or trees to elicit joy. Seeing signs of joy in everyday life takes more purpose and focus. Until I can walk every day in the forest, I need to practice taking steps to joy by “getting my thanks in,” no matter the difficulty or dreariness of the path.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“Consider your steps wisely.” (see Proverbs 14: 15)
Proverbs is a perplexing, somewhat odd book of the Bible, filled with wise sayings. If someone wrote such a book today, they might include phrases like “a watched pot never boils” or “don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Much of this book presents a contrast between being wise or prudent and being foolish or simple-minded. Such a contrast is provided in the 14th chapter.
When I did a search of the Bible for “steps,” I discovered the reference in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 15. The contrast of the entire verse includes the initial phrase about “fools believe everything they hear,” followed by the wisdom of thinking things through. There is a discipline presented here, a discipline of the mind. The thinking of fools is undisciplined, the thinking of the wise is careful. The “steps” in this verses are a metaphor for one’s thoughts and the actions that follow. If one’s thoughts are undisciplined, so are one’s physical steps.
Each thought is like a step, moving us somewhere. Undisciplined steps move us into trouble, whereas wise steps are moving to somewhere better. Adding one of my favorite Proverbs, we can get an idea of where our steps of thanks are taking us. Psalm 100 verse 4 says: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving.” Steps of thanks move us through the gates of God, into His presence. That presence is where joy is found, expressed in Psalm 16, verse 11 as: “You fill me with joy in Your presence.”
The discipline of taking steps of thanks moves us into a place of joy. Experiencing joy isn’t accidental, it’s the direct byproduct of being grateful. And being grateful is a habit that can be learned, just like any other habit.
Living in Mystery
As I approach the final couple of weeks in my faculty responsibilities at my current university, I have been pondering the rear-view mirror of my time here. The past few years have brought many disappointments and losses. As I look back to these difficulties I realize all of them were stones in a path that led me to the place I am today, specifically to leaving this university and becoming faculty elsewhere. This is a very good move for me, one for which I am incredibly thankful, and every rough rock in the path behind me was part of the journey here.
I selected the picture for today’s message as a reminder of the path behind me. It’s easy to look at the picture and see it as a picture of a path ahead, but seldom does life’s upcoming path look cohesive. More likely the path behind makes sense in the rear-view mirror, but the path ahead is mostly cast in fog and uncertainty.
As I stepped on each of those rough places in the path to where I am today, I struggled to step in thankfulness. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have been more easily grateful for the disappointments and pain of those steps. Saying “thanks” as I took those steps, was difficult. If only I had known where that rough path was leading…..
Living in the mystery of generating joy by taking steps of thanks is to practice saying “thanks” with every step, including the painful ones. Perhaps especially the painful ones. Being thankful when the rocky steps are rough and hurt us as we step is the highest level of living in the mystery of getting our thanks in.
For the many and more ordinary steps we take each day, the habit of saying “thanks” can be connected to daily habits we already practice. Getting out of bed can be attached to saying, “thanks for this day and all it will bring.” Each sip of your morning beverage can be a chance to savor a bit of gratitude as the liquid moves into your mouth. Every changing of clothes could bring a reminder to be thankful, thankful for the clothes and for the ability to move your body.
If you have a habit of daily walking, consider layering thanks into your routine. As you notice things around you, connect a word of thanks for them. Notice what you hear and give thanks for the sounds and your ability to hear them. Notice what you see and give thanks for your ability to see them. By adding steps of thanks to your physical steps you can generate joy and health simultaneously.
Another strategy is to start with your toes and say thanks for your body parts, working your way up to your scalp and hair. I’m thankful my toes because they help me balance. I’m thankful for my feet because they provide a place to wear shoes I like. And so forth. The alphabet is a great anchor for generating lists of things or people for which you can give thanks. It doesn’t matter if what comes to mind is silly, because that silliness will make you smile, generating joy more quickly. I’m thankful for air to breathe and the pollen that makes me sneeze, reminding me spring is here again. I’m thankful for my bed, a place of sleep and restoration. And so forth.
In the morning, say thanks for the blessings on their way to you and answers to problems the day will bring. At bedtime, reflect on the blessings of the day and for the answers you received. Give thanks, in advance, for the peaceful sleep on its way to you.
As you look at your pedometer or smartwatch and see how many physical steps you have gotten in for the day, think about how many times you said “thanks.” Some people have goals of 5000 or more physical steps each day but don’t consider a “thanks” goal. How many “steps of thanks” can you get in each day? A hundred? A thousand? How many times do you complain about something? Crowd the “grumbles” out of you by filling yourself with thanks. I challenge you to get more “steps of thanks” in!
Connecting With Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, thank You for reminding me to practice giving thanks. Help me to better discipline my thoughts to those of thanks instead of complaints. Thank You for helping me to get more steps of thanks in each of my days and generating more joy. Thank You for the joy of Your presence when I step towards You by saying “thanks.” Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations.
You can find previous posts and podcasts in my ARCHIVE and organized compilations in the My “Books” section.
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