Tuesday, November 27, 2012

What Am I Thankful for?



What am I Thankful for?

   November arrived and as of this blog post it is on his way out with a cold blast! The elections are done and over with, thanksgiving came and went, the Holiday shopping season “officially” started. The timing of this blog post is at the beginning of the Christmas season. The opportunity for being all pious and super religious is so tempting and so easy. Yet I would like to think of my readers as people who do some critical thinking and examine their world around them. So instead of going for the easy answers I will present to you some hard questions that we all need to ponder from time to time.
 
   It amazes me how we designate a single “official observance day” for holidays that should be an everyday thing. Should we not honor our moms and dads everyday instead of just one day in May and June? Thanksgiving Day, a whole entire day dedicated to the act of giving thanks. Do we spend the entire day doing that? Far from it, we have a list (in some cases legendary) of things to do to get ready for a once a year feast. Then there is the matter of, the football game. Whether is watching the one on TV or the traditional back yard “Golden Drumstick trophy” contest (that somehow the weakest team wins every year in some families), the thoughts of the day are on who will win this year. What should we give thanks for, the regular things; health, family, friends, good food? What are you thankful for?

   Are we thankful like Psalm 42 for the memory of the things God has done for us? Are we thankful for our calling as servants and followers of God as Colossians 3 speaks of? Do we give thanks out of obligation or out of the uncontainable joy of what God has and is doing in our lives, (Psalm 100)? Do we thank God in proclamation of His deeds, Psalm105? Have you thanked God for his faithful love for you, Psalm 106? Do you remember His name when you think back to the day you were crying out to Jesus for your Salvation and He heard you and rescued you, Psalm 118:21? Will you give thanks for who God is, Psalm 118:28? Can you stop in the middle of adversity and thank God for being God, Daniel 6:10? Are we thankful for what we already have, Matt15:36? Will you remember to say thanks for whatever comes next, Matt26:27? Are we thankful for the opportunities to share in others burdens, Luke22:17?

   What am I thankful for? That the God creator of the universe felt that heaven would not be complete unless I was there, and in an inexplicable display of mercy send His only son to die a brutal death for my sins to be erased. That on the third day He rose from the dead so I too could have eternal life with Jesus in heaven. The rest as they say…well, is just gravy.  

RH