Whom are you thanking? Nov 23. 2006
It's that time of year again. Families come together. Old members tell old stories to new members. New members try to figure out the old traditions. Young people wait for something exciting to happen. Old people wait for a break in the excitement. Turkeys are carved. Stuffing is stuffed. Tea and Eggnog flow freely. Tensions mount, but so does the grace we have for our loved ones. We travel or are visited. Hopefully we are not alone, and if we are then hopefully we are missed. People who don't excercise all year long run in a charity marathon. People who don't normally get to talk remember that they are friends. And over it all is this title: "Thanksgiving"!
It's fun, but it's also a time for reflection. Some people who were here last year are no longer with us. Lives have changed. Children are mysteriously more grown up. Life seems more complicated. Simplicity seems a thing of the past and this day affords us a chance to remember. We remember that everything we have is a gift. Perhaps we've worked hard for it, or perhaps it was given to us at no cost to ourselves, but in either case it is a gift.
The Bible tells us that "every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights." The God of all creation has given us life and breathe and every good thing. He has given me a wonderful wife. He has given her a new family. He has given my family a bright and fun new member, whom the kids and cousins love. He's brought us good times and hard lessons, finances and fiances, food, folks, and fun. He's given us education, church family, and so much stuff that we take it for granted. All of this comes from God. Our safety, our resources, our freedom... these things do not comes from the hands of men and women (though many men and women have sacrificed so that we might be blessed). These things come from the hand of the God who created both the universe and the butterfly.
So, as you remember all of the things that you are thankful for I want to challenge you to also remember who it is you are thanking for them. Is your gratitude nebulous or does it address itself to the true source of all that is good in your life? What are you thankful for? Whom are you thanking?
It's fun, but it's also a time for reflection. Some people who were here last year are no longer with us. Lives have changed. Children are mysteriously more grown up. Life seems more complicated. Simplicity seems a thing of the past and this day affords us a chance to remember. We remember that everything we have is a gift. Perhaps we've worked hard for it, or perhaps it was given to us at no cost to ourselves, but in either case it is a gift.
The Bible tells us that "every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights." The God of all creation has given us life and breathe and every good thing. He has given me a wonderful wife. He has given her a new family. He has given my family a bright and fun new member, whom the kids and cousins love. He's brought us good times and hard lessons, finances and fiances, food, folks, and fun. He's given us education, church family, and so much stuff that we take it for granted. All of this comes from God. Our safety, our resources, our freedom... these things do not comes from the hands of men and women (though many men and women have sacrificed so that we might be blessed). These things come from the hand of the God who created both the universe and the butterfly.
So, as you remember all of the things that you are thankful for I want to challenge you to also remember who it is you are thanking for them. Is your gratitude nebulous or does it address itself to the true source of all that is good in your life? What are you thankful for? Whom are you thanking?
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