Thanksgiving Reflection

A Grateful People

What does true thankfulness mean?

Gratitude is difficult. Isn't that ironic? It seems so easy and innate. God gives, we accept and are thankful—end of story. But it's rarely so simple or clean. What if we're not in a healthy place to receive God's blessings? What if God takes something or someone away from us? How do we live gratefully in the midst of suffering, or simply in the normal messiness of life?

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that gratitude is passive: God is the one acting, bestowing gifts upon us. We just have to receive what he gives us. Receptivity, though, isn't always easy, and it is never passive. It means actively unclenching and opening our hands and our lives, not just when God wants to give us something shiny and new, but even when he gives us trials.

True gratitude stems from this receptivity. It is an intentional, courageous undertaking, challenging our assumptions of what God's faithfulness looks like in good times and in bad. If we are only grateful during good times, our response hinges on God's gifts to us, and our gratitude becomes conditional and weak.

The Israelites expressed this conditional gratitude to God many times throughout the Old Testament. They were thankful when the Lord delivered them, but they were often grumbling and ho-hum in their faith when things didn't go their way. We, too, are often irresolute with God because, if we're honest, it's easier to be thankful when things are great in our lives, not when they are hard.

Of course, it's always right to express thankfulness for specific situations, things, or persons God has given us. There is a sweetness found in this gratitude. The old adage "count your blessings" seems corny and over-used, but it is helpful at its core: Naming those good relationships and things in our lives is part of actively pursuing gratitude.

The danger comes when our warmth toward the Giver becomes dependent on the tangible good things he provides us rather than the good God he has proven to be. It becomes formulaic and impersonal, like a monetary exchange or an unhealthy friendship.

God desires that we desire him, the Giver, and not the gifts alone. But here's the good news: God manifests himself through his goodness to us, and this is why we offer him thanks. As the Psalmist says, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:15, ESV).

God is not aloof or distant, nor is he fickle in his love like the Israelites and us. He is ever-present and continually offers the gift of himself, even when we experience suffering, persecution, sickness, financial burden, relational turmoil, or other hardships.

James tells us that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17, ESV). Because God is faithful, we can be receptive to him even during difficulty. This doesn't mean we like the situation or that we have to find some sort of good in it while we're in that situation. Sometimes the only good thing we will meet is God himself, and he will sustain us.

C.S. Lewis, in one of his letters, says, "We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is 'good,' because it is good, if 'bad' because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country." In other words, we don't have to muster up a false pleasure in bad times, but true gratitude comes from seeing the hand of God working in our lives.
By: Bonnie McMaken

Food For Thought

THE U IN JESUS


Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?

The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
And this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When JesUs left earth at His Upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

"Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U.."

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too

It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know,
But it all starts with U.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Phil. 4:13

Food For Thought

FAITH

This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 2 legs - He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him. His first owner also did not think that he could survive and he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She became determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself. She named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and to jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he could now walk like a human being. Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him. He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is now a book entitled 'With a Little Faith' being published about him.

His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'. In life there are always undesirable things, so in order to feel better you just need to look at life from another direction. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone will appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day. Faith is the continual demonstration of the strength and wonder of life.

Food For Thought

THE SON

Take my Son -A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas,there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.' The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' There was silence.Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!' But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the long time gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?''

Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.''What about the paintings?'' I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?' Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE....THAT'S LOVE

Food For Thought

The Ant and the Contact Lens: a true story Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact len . "Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry..." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge... But it just wasn't there.. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy.. But, if You want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior.. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil.. 4:13)