Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you.
“My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31; from Jesus’ parable of the two sons).
I remember being in a group of adult third culture kids (TCKs). Most of them, like me, were adult missionaries’ kids (MKs).[1] I was listening to the story of one of our MK group members. He shared how two-way journaling with God had become an important part of his spiritual rhythms. He would pour out his heart to God in writing. Then he added, “the turning point for me always is when I hear God say, ‘But I love you.’”
My fellow MK’s story is compelling. After growing up as an MK, I continued my crosscultural journey in my adult life by being a “sent one” (aka a missionary). Mission commitment and purpose have been central to my life. Even when I try to quiet myself in God’s presence, my mind starts running ahead of me thinking of ways to bless others.[2] As good and as generative as these ways may be, I am learning to throw a stick in the spokes of my spinning-wheel mind. When the spinning stops, I can hear God say to me, “Jamey, I love you!”
When we hear God say, “But I love you!”, our heart opens to receive from God, and even the tension in our body begins to loosen. This posture of openness and receptivity to God prepares us for gratitude.
“This posture of openness and receptivity to God prepares us for gratitude. Gratitude is a key practice of 2nd half of life spirituality.”
Gratitude is a key practice of 2nd half of life spirituality. Ronald Rolheiser, in his recent book Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for our Wisdom Years, shares advice from the memoir of novelist Morris West.
Writing as an old man still bearing the scars of some bitter fires he has been through, he offers us some advice. When you reach a certain age, he says, there should be only three phrases left in your vocabulary: Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you. If we reach our autumn years, and these are not the dominant three phrases in our vocabulary, then we still have some major inner work to do (p. 35).
Gratitude is an especially relevant discipline for whatever end-of-the-year reflective practices you engage. I invite you to pause right now and envision your heart opening to God’s presence, love, and goodness. How will you respond? If you need a suggestion, here’s one. Simply say, “Thank you, thank you, and thank you.”
[1] Michele Phoenix, author of the 2025 book Pieces of Purple: The Greatness, Grit, and Grace of Growing Up MK, introduced me to the term “Missionaries’ Kid(s).” By adding a possessive form to the first noun, this is her preferred term rather than the more common term “Missionary Kids.” Michele’s purpose is to release “missionaries’ kids” from the pressure and expectations of the “missionary culture.” These pressures can manifest in what she calls the “Tyranny of Shoulds.” The “shoulds” are the “unrealistic and unachievable expectations, perceived by most MKs, that they must be exceptional in every way … because their families serve and represent God—and because he and the world are watching” (p.38).
[2] Admittedly, I do also find my mind one-sidedly correcting and instructing others. I am learning to release these compulsions to have to fix others.
Photo on Unsplash by Gautham Krishna