A Reason to Give Thanks

The Thanksgiving season (as opposed to the day) doesn’t get near enough emphasis. Its roots lie back in the early history of settlers coming to this continent. Presidents thought it an important enough idea to designate a special day for it each year. Frankly, it’s just good to stop and figure out what we have for which we ought to give thanks. Since a couple of weeks ago I wrote on taking time to stop, breathe, and remember what all these holidays are about, this week I am stopping long enough to record a list of what is so important in my life that it deserves gratitude.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ, without apology I give my gratitude first and foremost to my heavenly Father.

 “Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning...” (James 1:17)

That will always begin my list of blessings. Before I can move into the mortal realm, there has to be the primacy of God the Son who freely chose to take the punishment for my personal rebellion against the plans of the Father. There is the gift of God the Spirit who dwells within my mind and enables me to strive to live in accordance with the plans God has for me.

The blessings of this life begin with relationships. My wife and two sons and now a daughter-in-law take my thoughts away from a self-centered focus and direct them toward individuals who have shown me it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

I am thankful for the home that now no longer exists created by my parents who loved God and loved their two sons; who sacrificed much to give those two sons a hope for a future that would include greater opportunities than their own had contained.

In the mornings when I walk I sometimes use the moments to point out to God all the good things in my life instead of asking for more:

A body that is still strong enough and pain free so that I can walk; eyes to behold the beauty of the stars; ears to hear the haunting sound of the great horned owl and early rising mockingbird; hands and fingers that can feel the cold begin to seep through the gloves.

Gloves to keep my fingers and hands warm; multiple layers of clothes that make the early morning walk bearable; shoes that can keep out the cold from the frozen ground.

A house with a roof that does not leak and windows and doors that keep out rain, snow and wind; a warm bed from which to rise and a full refrigerator to which to return; photographs to remind of what has been and calendars and schedules to remind me, for the moment at least, I have an earthly future.

A car that runs well enough to take me to a job that pays well enough to cover the bills; a driveway in a grassy yard presently covered with leaves of many hues; stone walls bordering flower and herb beds that hold memories of past beauty and promises of future glory.

Friends and extended family scattered across the states; and a waiting spiritual home that will know no end.

Col 3:15  The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful.

Col 3:16  Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.

Col 3:17  Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.

I am blessed. I have many reasons to be thankful throughout the year. May you be filled with gratitude in the knowledge God will meet your every need.

Living with a Holiday Spirit

Here they come all lined up in a row, one after the other. Halloween followed by Veteran’s Day, and soon our path runs into Thanksgiving. The season of Advent begins on the last Sunday of November. Then the Christian, Jew, and the secular world celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah, and one way or another we find the means to celebrate the passing of one year and the beginning of another. All this occurs in less than ten weeks.

There will be parties and family gatherings. Travel miles will reach into the millions. Businesses will make more money in these ten weeks than in any other four to six month period of the year. On January 2^nd we will go back to work, collapse in exhaustion, or watch another round of college football games. It is the American way.

Where in all this chaos do we find time to celebrate the reasons behind each season? There would be no Halloween (All Hallows Eve) if there were no All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. There would be no Veteran’s Day if we did not honor those who have given of time and life to defend the freedoms of our country. There would be no Thanksgiving if we did not remember the price paid by those who first settled our country. There would be no Advent and Christmas if followers of Jesus had not seen his coming as a divine interruption in history along with a promise he would return some day. And as for New Year’s Eve and Day? We don’t need much of an excuse to celebrate. If a reason is not handy, we’ll make up one.

In I Thessalonians 5:18, the Apostle Paul said,

1Th 5:18  Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. (Contemporary English Version)

Holidays can bring a mess of emotions. Anticipation can fill your thoughts as you prepare for the seasonal activities. There is the joy of being with friends and family in an atmosphere of caring and sharing. There can be a sense of longing about wonderful occasions now relegated to the past. Our hearts can miss the joy of the season altogether if there is an empty chair where a departed loved one used to sit.

Paul calls us to remember regardless of what is happening we have reason to thank God. Things may look dark. Grief may dominate. Still, Paul says, we can find joy in what God has given us and will never take away.

Don’t celebrate the demonic and evil at Halloween. Celebrate the lives of all the saints who have kept a faithful witness for Christ through the centuries. Celebrate the Resurrection of Christ when he overcame death, the greatest weapon of Satan.

Don’t be conquered by grief at the terrible cost in lives and families by war. Thank God there were and are men and women who are willing to give “the last, full measure” for the freedom of their country. Thank God for their memory. Thank God for their service today. Remember them in your prayers and acts of kindness.

Don’t let Thanksgiving get lost between the decorations of Halloween and Christmas. Slow down long enough to recognize that as James said,

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. (Good News Bible)

Use the time of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, to thank God for sending his Son Jesus Christ to die in place of us for the consequences of our sins. Take time to thank God that this same Jesus is coming back one day to carry us to our eternal home in the presence of our heavenly Father.

On New Year’s Eve, thank God you have what you have at the end of this old year. On New Year’s Day thank God you have to possibilities of a new year awaiting you.

This will help you live with a holiday spirit.

Hunger and Gratitude

Over the next several weeks I will probably eat too much. The food will be delicious, and the leftovers will be as good as the original dishes. My plate will be cleaned so well you would think it had never been used. I’ll thank God for each meal and each morsel.

Somewhere at some time throughout these holy days, I’ll try to remember not everyone will be enjoying the bounty I’ll have in front of me. There will be people who will wake up hungry and go to bed the same way. If they have one meal of beans or rice during the day, they will feel most fortunate. Others will not have that much and will look at their swollen bellies and those of their children and wonder about a thing called hope.

In those moments I’ll think of the bounty I enjoy and of the ways I can help others who have less or nothing at all. I will utter a prayer that they will be filled and find a way to be a part of the answer. I hope I will be so thankful for what I have I will find a way to make sure they have more than they would have had.

It’s easy to feel blessed and be grateful when the table is full. It’s easy to look to God and be thankful when you have enough for leftovers. It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well in a dozen different ways.

We could use a few lessons in being grateful when the times are not so good. If we can’t be grateful, we at least need to learn to keep our eyes focused on our only source of hope and be glad He is there. Sometimes we need to be reminded the greatest blessing we have is the relationship we share with God.

A common translation of Job 13:15 goes like this, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” (NASV) Job laid it all on the line in his blunt argument with a silent God. He declared his innocence. He wanted God to explain what all this pain and suffering was about. At the same time he acknowledged he had nowhere else to go. He was making demands of the only One who could deliver him, the only One who offered hope.

Job was not the only one who was able to find hope and thus a reason for gratitude when things looked rather dim. The prophet Habakkuk ends his brief set of prophecies with one of the greatest statements of hope grounded in faith in the entire Old Testament. He declares the barren fig and olive trees, the fruitless vine, the wasted fields, and the empty livestock stalls will not keep him from celebrating the relationship he has with God. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

The finest example of gratitude that moves beyond circumstances is found in the moment Jesus can say to his Father, “Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) Jesus could never be described as thankful for the cross that awaited him. He could, however, be grateful he was looking to a Father whom he felt had all things under control. The best would win out.

Job looked to a relationship he believed was present even in the midst of his suffering. Habakkuk celebrated a relationship that wasn’t measured by material wealth. Jesus depended upon a relationship that would be there even in his darkest hour. Though he would face that hour alone, his faith in the relationship he had with his Father made our gratitude possible.

Be grateful for a plate full of food. Be grateful for family and friends who share your table. Be grateful for the One who left heaven to bring us a hope the world can never offer. And go share your gratitude with someone whose heart and stomach need it.