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