“Mom, what does ‘miserly’ mean?”
It’s fairly rare for my kids to ask for help with Wordly Wise (vocabulary) assignments in English. But the surprising thing about this question wasn’t just that the kid didn’t know the meaning of the word.
“Miserly” came out rhyming with “misery”.
Of course, since I’m a pretty slow processor, this didn’t strike me for another 12 hours or so. I just corrected the pronunciation, helped clarify the meaning, and went back to what I was doing.
It eventually hit me the next morning as I was reading Psalm 50 and Hebrews 13:15 - - about “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” and “a sacrifice of praise” . I started wondering whether “being miserly” is what makes it hard to give thanks.
When I’m clinging to my little familiar areas of (wished-for) control, thanksgiving doesn’t come easily. I don’t realize all that I’m receiving. My hands are clenched and grasping, not open. And in fact- that’s when thanksgiving IS a sacrifice: when I’m fearful rather than trusting. When I’m being a miserable miser.
Lesson learned — for both of us.