Atragedy left a family with a gap that nothing could fill. A toddler chasing a cat wandered into the road and was run over by a lorry. A 4 year old watched in shocked silence as her parents cradled the lifeless body of her little sister. For years the cold emptiness of that moment encased the family in sadness. Feelings were frozen. The only comfort was numbness. Relief was unimaginable.

Author Ann Voskamp was the 4 year old, and the sorrow surrounding her sister’s death formed her view of life and God. The world she grew up in had little knowledge of grace. Joy was an idea that had no reality.

As a young mother Voskamp set out to discover the elusive thing the Bible calls joy. The words for joy and grace come from the Greek word chairo, which she found out is at the centre of the Greek word for thanksgiving. She wondered if it could be that simple. To test her discovery, Voskamp decided to give thanks for 1,000 gifts she already had. She started slowly but soon gratefulness was flowing freely.

Just as Jesus gave thanks before, not after, raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41), Voskamp discovered that giving thanks brought to life feelings of joy that had died along with her sister. Joy comes from thanksgiving.

Author

Julie Ackerman Link

Topics

Our Daily Bread