Latest / The Holy Pause / The Unwrapped Gift

Transcript

The Unwrapped Gift · The Holy Pause

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: A reading from scripture, Philippians 1, verse 3 through 11.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I thank my God every time I remember you.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news from
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: the very first day until now.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Being confident of this,
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: of Christ Jesus.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And whether I am in change or defending and confirming the gospel,
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: all of you share in God's grace with me.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: And this is my prayer,
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: so that you may be able to discern what is best.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: I love Christmas Eve morning.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Not the chaos of the kids running down the stairs to see what Santa brought,
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: though those days are coming to an end for at least one of my children.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: But the quiet moments with the tree and a cup of coffee.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: I always look through the names on each package and give thanks for the blessings
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: of family and friends.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then laugh at the names in the package, which are just made up.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: It simply wouldn't do for them to get too many presents from mom and dad.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: So they also get presents from famous people or cartoon characters too.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I love the potential of an unwrapped gift.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: But the true blessing of that morning comes in the gratitude and thankfulness
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: which comes after the gift is unwrapped.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Until the paper comes off, it's just a pretty box.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Once the gift is revealed, it fills us with joy and gratitude beyond measure.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: An unspoken compliment is like a wrapped gift that is never given.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: It holds immense value, but brings no joy to the person it was meant for.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Silent appreciation may comfort our own souls.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Scripture reminds us that the power of life and death resides in the tongue.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: When we vocalize our gratitude,
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: we actively release life, light, and endurance into someone else's atmosphere.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: However, praise carries its greatest power when it is vocalized and specific.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Generic compliments, great job today, are polite, but specific encouragement.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: I saw how patiently you listened to that family this morning,
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: and your kindness brought so much peace to the room.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Anchors that grace in reality.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Specific praise communicates something profound.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I see you.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Your quiet labor matters.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: God is working through you.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: When we give specific praise, we aren't just complimenting performance.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: We are validating identity and purpose.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: A strong community isn't built by accident.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: It is constructed word by word, encouragement by encouragement.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: So let's move our gratitude out of the quiet quarters of our mind
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: and speak it boldly into the room.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Identify one person whose presence or effort has blessed you recently.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Reach out to them today via text,
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: phone call, or face-to-face and give them one specific reason you appreciate them.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Join me in prayer.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Loving Lord, forgive me for keeping my gratitude locked inside my own heart.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Open my eyes to notice the faithful, often unseen efforts of those around me.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Give me the words and the courage to speak specific,
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: life-giving praise today so that our community may be built up in your love.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast was written and recorded by Reverend Elizabeth Troyer
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: with audio engineering and editing assistance from Jermaine Taylor.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: These podcasts will always be free,
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: but if you would like to support our online ministry,
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: you can donate using the link in the bio or at wakeforestpres.org.