Thank You, Anonymous!
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)
Reflections of 2023 are plentiful: some are sorrowful and painful, while others are comforting, exciting, and quite pleasant. While we cannot alter the reality of any of these events, we can accept the wise man’s words that remind us, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Further, we must remember “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:7) We must be thankful for all His blessings and appreciate the keeping of His promise, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5 – 6).
How God chooses to distribute these blessings to His children is often categorized as “providence.” I’ve never been able to properly define “providence,” and therefore borrow the late brother Dee Bowman’s definition which was, “God’s provide ‘ence.” That’s as close as I can come! But let me quickly say the Lord’s statement in Luke 6:38 provides a good portion of explanation for providence. “Shall men give into your bosom” suggests God provides for us through man’s contributions to our needs whether temporal or spiritual. These provisions come in various packages: flowers to cheer us, cards to let us know someone is thinking of us, financial gifts, surprise visits, etc. And most puzzling are the gifts that come “ANONYMOUSLY!”
Such gifts create a quandary for us. “Who did this?” is usually our first reaction. We could devote hours to guessing and never know for sure because Anonymous doesn’t want us to find out! To thank him, her, or them is impossible; we can but thank God who is “not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10) He knows who did the kindness and will reward them for their love.
In 2023, so many times did Anonymous bless us! Gifts and great love came when least expected, and simultaneously when they were most needed. How did anyone on earth know our need, let alone the timing of it, and how to alleviate its pressure? Yet, there it was, often in greater quantity than needed, and certainly much more than expected! Also, Anonymous helped us when there was no need: simply a surprise that came with a note that read, “Enjoy” or “Thinking of you.” Whoever Anonymous is, THANK YOU!
There were several times in 2023 when discouragement was abundant, and when least expected, Anonymous sent a card that lifted our spirits to an indescribable height. How did they know? We tried to hide our emotions, and to the best of our ability, “put on a happy face.” But someone noticed, and thanks to Anonymous, our courage was renewed, and we pressed onward with an increased assurance of our work for the Lord.
While most of us received innumerable calls from unwanted sources (auto warranty swindles, Medicare scams, sellers of all kinds of gimmickry, and those we simply didn’t want to talk to at the time) we also received several calls from those who somehow knew we needed to hear their voice! How do we explain the call came when we needed it most and are so thankful we were there to receive it? Anonymous may not be the accurate way to describe the caller whose voice we recognize and whose conversation we value, but it is an accurate way to describe the manner of its timing! So again, “Thank you, Anonymous” is undoubtedly best uttered as “Thank you, Father.”
Let’s not forget the prayers Anonymous made on our behalf! We can never know who is speaking to God, asking that He bless us in ways only He can grant, and with an abundance only He can provide. But without these prayers from Anonymous, such blessings might never come. We Christians are commanded to pray one for another, but who can tell which Christian or from which place of our acquaintance is praying, or how often? Again, we can only thank the God of Heaven and ask Him to return the blessings with the same love and abundance by which He provided them to us … and Anonymously!
It may well be that some of you reading this hold the identity of “Anonymous” as we have described. But if you do identify yourself as such, you are no longer Anonymous, but one who seeks to be known. Jesus commended Anonymity when He said, “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6: 3-4) God knows the identity of Anonymous, and that’s enough!
Yes, there are so many memorable events of 2023. While many of them do have identities and we treasure them, those from Anonymous are no less precious. But for each of these treasures, we must take the time to be profoundly grateful to the God of heaven! It is HE who knows every good and perfect gift. He also knows each heart whose tenderness and generosity attempts to emulate His in the distribution of such kindnesses, all in the name of Anonymous! How wonderful to simply be about our Father’s business, being charitable according to His way (1 Corinthians 13), and bestowing upon others some of the simple blessings of life … and in the name of Anonymous!