Grateful

The very first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621. It began as a harvest festival thanking God for their bountiful harvest of crops. It’s been celebrated nationally since 1789 after a proclamation by George Washington. And, it has been a ‘federal holiday’ every year since 1863 when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”. Don’t you love that! I fear that sometimes we take for granted the fact that our great nation was founded on Biblical principles.

I wrote a blog awhile back titled, The ‘Magic’ Words. You know, the magic words “Please”, and “Thank You”. They really are words that have power, words that show gratitude, words that could, and should, pull us out of any attitude of ‘entitlement’ that might be lingering. We’re conditioned by our flesh to just automatically look at ‘what we don’t have’ rather than seeing what we do have. And, anytime we’re in that mode, true happiness is just another elusive dream that, seemingly, cannot be attained.

So, I think Thanksgiving should be, (among other things like food, family and fellowship), first and foremost a time to stop and just think and reflect on all that we do have. If you’re having a hard time thinking of some of those things…here’s a little list to help you get going.

I’m thankful that God exists; that He’s ‘real’…and that He’s a Father, Who ‘handpicked’ me to be His son! I’m thankful that He really, really loves me, in spite of all my shortcomings! I’m thankful for His grace…and that He’s already judged me to be righteous which is obviously not based on my conduct and behavior. I’m thankful for His amazing ability to rescue me no matter how serious, or impossible my situation might look. I’m thankful to the Lord for my family!

I bet the Lord appreciates it when we say thanks, whether we ‘say’ it in our words or our actions. I think Thanksgiving is a good time to remind ourselves of all that we have to be thankful for!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Maybe you’ll have some extra time the next few days for ‘binge reading’! Check out these ‘holiday blogs’, and pass ’em along to anyone you think’ll be interested!

“Freedom’s Just Another Word” …… But It’s a Whole Lot More Than That!

Room at the Inn?

Thanksgiving ’15 – One That’ll Stand Out For Us From Now On!

Labor Day Out on the ‘Ol ‘Lazy J’

Definitely Our Most Memorable New Year’s Day!

“Freedom’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose”;Kristofferson penned those words a generation ago. It’s really one of the great songs of any genre. And in my opinion nobody comes close to Janis Joplin’s rendition of it…although Roger Miller does run a good second; Waylon knocks it out of the park, as well (although I’m a little partial!). Kris wasn’t at all talking about the freedom that we have here in the USA, it was more of a love song, of sorts. And while I love that line in the song, on a day like today I think of freedom in an altogether different way.

With all that’s going on in America today, and as challenging as the future may be, we still have our freedom. There are countless billions around the planet that have never experienced this thing called freedom; it’s a word alien to their understanding. And for us, who have experienced it to the fullest extent of any nation on the globe, I think we should at least stop for a minute, say thanks, and think a little bit of what we really have. Freedom didn’t just happen; it was fought for….NO, I mean really fought for!Thousands of patriotic Americans have given their lives so we can live free, and do the things that we do. For me, I don’t necessarily think I ever took our freedom for granted. But I remember years back after first watching, “Saving Private Ryan”(If you haven’t seen it, you need to!!), and looking through some tears that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t give freedom the ‘value’ that it really deserves.

So, today, as we celebrate our freedom it would serve us well to stop for a moment and reflect on all that’s been labored for…for us to be free! And even if “she left you somewhere near Salinas”, or even if you’re “busted flat in Baton Rouge” …….you’re still free! So “pull your harpoon out of your dirty red bandana” and blow something Red, White & Blue!

I say we enjoy it!!