As it is the season of Thanksgiving, and my daughter has been learning about the Pilgrims, the Indians and the Mayflower, I decided to ask her what is the meaning of thanksgiving. As usual, her response surprised me. She said, ‘giving thanks to God for everything we have’. Wow. What a response. I know not everyone believes this, but this is what we believe. God has been gracious and kind to us, and we should thank Him for His bounty and provision.
Sadly, not everyone has all the provisions that we have. How do I reconcile the difference? Of what makes you and I have, and others don’t? I honestly have no idea. What I do know is that in this time, where we have, we have to look out for the ones that don’t have. Matthew 25:35-36 states, ‘for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Jesus then went on to remind them and us ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
We are called to be our brothers keeper.
I also wanted to share with you what I’m learning about praise. I guess it ties into also trying to have a thankful heart for our blessings. I find that when I get into one of my moods, I can choose to wallow in it, or I can choose to change my perspective. I’m learning to change my perspective as soon as I find a mood setting in. I do that by taking the focus off my issue, and putting it on the only one who can actually fix it and me. I turn on worship music or music that takes me out of the picture, and puts Jesus at the center. I have a few go tos, and on the days when I can’t choose for myself, I let YouTube do it for me, and it somehow knows exactly what I need to hear in that moment to lift my spirits.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for all that you have provided. I thank you for being able to praise you. Lord, especially during this season, where many people are struggling for various reasons, help us to be kind and compassionate towards one another. Help us to look around and see others’ needs and where we can step in to help, even in what we consider to be small ways – we never know the impact it’s making on the recipient.