On a playground at recess, the main character, Ralphie, and his friends gather around a flag pole in the middle of winter and debate whether or not a tongue would get stuck to a flagpole in such weather. Ralphie's friend Flick affirms that he thinks it wouldn't happen, and is in turn dared to stick his own tongue to the pole. He is reluctant, but still firm in his opinion that it wouldn't stick. His lack of action results in a double dog dare, and better yet a triple-dog dare. We all know the rest of the story. Flick's tongue indeed sticks to the pole, the school bell rings, and all of Flick's "friends" leave him standing in the cold to fend for himself (Side note: that would never happen. Surely at least one child in an elementary classroom would have an ounce of compassion). Lucky for Flick, the teacher follows protocol, takes attendance after recess, sees Flick out the window, and calls the fire department to come to his rescue.
I highly doubt any of you have been dared or followed through on a dare that left you in such a dire situation. If you have, lets grab coffee. I need to hear the story. However, I am sure we all have been witness to a petty dare or two. "I dare you to cheat on that test." "I dare you to steal that candy bar." "I dare you to lie about where you were last night." "I dare you to jump off that cliff." The list could go on and on.
It seems to me that most dares have something in common. The action being pushed usually is something that either the person wouldn't want to do or would end in a negative result. If the dare was something positive, something the person would do on a routine basis or would reap immense benefit from, there would be no necessity for a dare to elicit the desired action. Right?
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reading a book (surprised?) called 1000 gifts, written by Ann Voskamp. I have not made my way all the way through yet, so no need for a spoiler alert, because I won't be giving you one.
I'll give you a quick synopsis. Throughout the book, the author shares tidbits of her daily life, both growing up, and in the present. She shares her life struggles, her tragedies, and her joys. Throughout her daily life, she makes the conscious decision to look for the blessings that surround her and chronicle them all the way to 1000 blessings. She finds that blessings exist from the Lord everywhere and can be anything, even a flicker of light in a bubble floating up from the dishes. She also discovers that uncovering and recognizing the blessings already in front of her unlocks boundless joy in her day to day life.
We live in a present time full of "first world problems." We walk up to doors that say automatic that don't open. Our lattes are made with whole milk instead of soy. The IOS system (whatever that is) on our iPhones doesn't run quickly enough. Our GPS takes us to the wrong place. And help us all, our free local access television channels don't come with a DVR.
We encounter such "problems" on a daily basis, and then dwell on them as we drone our way through 5 o'clock traffic. We are so quick to point out the places we believe our circumstances have fallen short. But wait, do we take the time to point out, to recognize, or even glance at for a split second at the blessing surrounding us?
I know I don't enough. Too often, entitlement becomes the tune that we sing. We think we deserve what we have, of course deserve more on top of that, and expect the universe to walk to the beat of our drum and bend over backwards to make our ride through life as smooth as possible. This week I was reading and came across this: Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it."
It doesn't say, the earth is the Lord's, but everything in it belongs to the people he created. Everything is the Lord's. Nothing is mine. All that I see, all that I feel, all that I have, and all that I desire have something in common. They are all gifts from the Lord.
Think back to the last time someone gave you a gift. What was your response? Did you set it down without a thought, word, or second glance to the one who gave it to you? I'm going to guess no. You most likely said thank you and maybe even took the time to put a hand addressed thank you note in the mail.
If we respond in gratitude to earthly gifts, how can we respond to the maker and giver of all gifts? Gifts from him aren't limited to birthdays and Christmas. We are surrounded by his gifts embodied in blessings constantly. These blessings could be contained in a ray of sunshine through the clouds, a dimple in a smile, a rush of wind, or even a twinkle in an eye.
As we all live a life full of blessings and gifts, shouldn't we live a life full of gratitude? I don't think this comes naturally. Looking and seeing aren't the same thing. We have to want to see what the world so easily passes by. Seek blessings with intentionality. Live your life as an outpouring of gratitude to the Giver.
In her book, Ann Voskamp dares readers to take a "joy dare" in their own life. She challenges them to chronicle 1000 blessings of their own over the course of a year. Do we need a dare to do so? Is there a negative outcome we fear? What's holding us back? Living in the midst of the Lord's blessings and in a state of gratitude promises a positive outcome.
"It’s habits that can imprison you and it’s habits that can free you.
But when thanks to God becomes a habit – so joy in God becomes your life." - Ann Voskamp
A dare to live joyfully is one I think can accept.
Open your eyes. Look with intentionality. See. Be thankful. Be joyful. I dare you.
I would be remiss not to give you these links: {Ann Voskamp's 1000 gifts} & {Her blog: A Holy Experience}
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