The Power to Bless:
Part 1 - The Power of Appreciation

May 24, 2009

The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Pastor

Montgomery United Methodist Church

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Good morning! This morning I’d like to begin a series of sermons and talk about a great power that you have. You have a remarkable power within you, a power that can make the world a better place, a power that can make your life more meaningful and happier. It’s a wonderful power. And it’s available to each and every one of us. It’s available to you whether you are six or 98. It’s available to you whether you deal with hundreds of people each week or if you’re in a hospital bed. And, my friends, that power is called the power of blessing. You have the power to bless. I want us to talk about that remarkable power today and over the next few weeks.

This morning I’d like to begin with a very foundational idea of blessing called appreciation. The power of appreciation is the title and the topic of this particular installment of the series. You see, the power of appreciation is an inside thing. It’s a posture of the heart. It is a state of consciousness. It is a conscious decision where you say to yourself, I am deciding to be an appreciator. That’s my prayer for you today, that each and every one of you will make a personal commitment and a personal decision in your heart to be an appreciator.

Let’s see what that means together. It seems to me that our lives are geared in such a way that there is a great temptation, instead of being an appreciator, to be a critic – a critic of others, a critic of life, and perhaps a critic of ourselves. This morning I’m going to invite you to let the critics stay to the side, and become an appreciator today.

A dear friend of mine who was a lay leader of a church I served previously was asked by the district superintendent to deliver a message to the district clergy. I’ll never forget the way he began his message. He got up in front of the clergy, and he said, “Distinguished clergy, there’s something I’d like to tell you. I’d like to tell you what we lay people really expect of our clergy. It’s really very simple. There are only two things, and they are easy to remember because they’re the same two things we expect of ourselves. Number one: Everything. And number two: Perfection. Everything else is negotiable.”

How about that? Is that the way we go through life? Is that what we expect of life, of others, and of ourselves? Everything and perfection? My friends, I would suggest to you that life can be happier than that. Let’s be appreciators. Let’s decide today to appreciate the world we live in. let’s appreciate other people and life and ourselves.

But first, let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this. Take a look at Ephesians 1, verse15.  You tell me if St. Paul is an appreciator or not when he speaks to the people at Ephesus.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.

What love! What appreciation! Let’s reflect it, shall we? St. Paul doesn’t say, “Well, you know, people of Ephesus, you could do better. No! He says, “I know about your love; I know about your faith. I’m giving thanks to God for you. I appreciate you.” What a great spirit; what a great spirit to reflect!

So, I’m suggesting, my friends, that we go into the week and say, “Am I an appreciator? Do I appreciate others? For instance, for the people in our immediate life, do we have a tendency to say, “This could be better” or “He has this little quirk” or “This isn’t quite right”? Don’t we tend to ignore the 80%, the 90% that is right?

Let’s be appreciators. Let’s avoid the burnt-toast syndrome, where we get mad at someone because the toast is burnt. Let’s let that go and appreciate the fact that they were there for you late in the night at that crisis time, that they were there for you when things were hard, that they are consistent friends. Let’s appreciate the other people in our lives.

How about our children? What if our child comes home with a report card with 4 C’s, 2 B’s, and one A? What are we going to say? It’s up to us. Are we going to criticize those C’s and draw attention to them or say that the B’s should have been A’s? Or, can we say, “I am so proud of you. You got an A. tell me what it was like to get that A? And look at those B’s. B’s are better than C’s. And these C’s – I know you’re trying in those classes. Let’s see what happens as we move to the future. I am proud of you for doing so well.”

Well, my friends, if we reward every step in the right direction, I’ll bet more steps can be taken in the right direction. Isn’t that how you and I would like to be treated? Be an appreciator of others in your world.

On this Memorial Day weekend, let’s be appreciators of our military. There are men and women serving in uniform in foreign countries and difficult circumstances. They really don’t want to be there, but they’re committed to being there because they believe in America, like we believe in America. We want to say thank you to them. And so, should you run into a person in uniform, whether or not you know the person, take a moment to say, “I appreciate what you’re doing. I know it’s a sacrifice. Thank you.” Let’s be appreciators of our folks in uniform.

Second, let’s be appreciators of God and appreciators of life. You know, when I think of the word appreciation one thing that comes to mind is art. Art appreciation courses help us to see things that we didn’t see before and enjoy things that we didn’t enjoy before. Can’t we look at life and at God that way, too?

Speaking of art, I had a professor, Professor Reinhart, a dear friend of mine, a great historian and scholar of art. I was in his home once, and over his piano was a picture of a farm, a very green hill. There was a cow in the picture, and a barn. I thought to myself that this was not the kind of picture you’d find in an art history book. I asked him about the picture. He said, “Oh, that’s a picture of the farm I grew up on. A neighbor painted that picture for me. I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “You’ll not find this in any art history book. But I look at it, and it makes me smile.” Isn’t that great? He appreciated that painting for what it was.  Shall we not appreciate our lives for what they are?

Do you ever hear people say, “Well, if there was a God, then this wouldn’t happen”? What about all the other things that are great? What about all the things in your life and mine that are absolutely miraculous and wonderful? Can’t we look at them and say, “Dear God, I appreciate You and I appreciate this life You have given me. Yes, there are mysteries and there are things I can’t explain, and there are things I want to talk over with You when I get to the other side. But dear God, You have given me such a wonderful life. You have blessed me so richly. Lord, I appreciate You.” Won’t you look at it that way?

Oh, and one more thing before we go – appreciate yourself. How’s your inner critic doing? Is it turned up full blast? Do you find yourself lecturing yourself about the items on your to-do list that didn’t get checked off and the things you wish you had done better or differently? Can you let them go a little bit and appreciate yourself for the things you are doing and the things you’ve done well, for the things that were successful, for the positive difference you’ve made in the lives of the other people in your life? Give yourself some credit; give yourself some slack. Above all, give yourself some appreciation for doing the best you can. Tomorrow is another day.

And so, my dear friends, the power of blessing is yours. The power to appreciate is yours. And it’s a mighty power indeed, to make the world a better place and to make yours a happier, more successful, more abundant life. Let’s practice the art of appreciation, shall we? And let’s discover more about the power of blessing next week. God loves you. I do, too. Have a blessed week. Amen.

© 2009 Anthony J. Godlefski