Shoulders of Giants

This week, I am thankful for the great men and women who have lived before me, who have demonstrated amazing faith and wisdom, and have struggled through deep truths. I am who I am because I can stand on the shoulders of these giants.

As protestants we sometimes forget the very challenging work of the church fathers to "rightly handle the word of truth." Throughout our history as the body of Christ, there have been questions about who we are and who God revealed himself to be. These courageous men and women struggled through these questions and have established the truths of the Christian church.

As one example, imagine how very differently we would view ourselves if the gnostic beliefs had not been checked in the early church. We would believe that the physical world was evil and worthless, and only the spirit mattered. While we do hold to the importance of the new life we have in the spirit, we can also enjoy the beauty of the physical world -- the ocean, the sunset, the hugs of our children -- as part of God's good gifts to us.

So today I echo the statement of Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Join me in being thankful this week. Every Thursday you can enter your Living in Thanksgiving post at Blue Castle.

Thankful for Community!

A friend started a new Thursday theme on her blog - Living in Thanksgiving! Check it out at Blue Castle. You can also share what you are thankful for and add it to the blog roll.

I know I missed Thursday, but I decided that I really needed to be thankful today. This has been a long week. I have two sick kids, a sick hubby, and no time to acknowledge that I, too, feel sick. So, this is the perfect time to stop complaining and give thanks.

This week, I am thankful for the community I live in. We are all brought together by the calling of God to attend (or support a spouse attending) Princeton Theological Seminary. I have a group of friends here who support me, pray for me, listen to me, and love me, in spite of it all. At this crazy time in life, God has placed us right were we need to be!