Skipping Thanksgiving
It’s that time again - Merry Christmas! Wait?! It’s Thanksgiving and not Christmas. It is?! Yes, we have forgotten that. Christmas music has already hit the radio. The stores are ready for the big sales to rake in the money. People have already decorated their homes with Christmas lights and inflatables all around. But haven’t we’ve forgotten Thanksgiving? Yes. Why?
I was a psych major. Ok, it was only for a semester, but I think people love Christmas not because they want to celebrate Jesus’ birthday but because they want to get things. It isn’t a psychological irregularity, but it’s because of sin in all of us. One of the characteristics of sin is selfishness. We don’t want to be thankful or say, “thank you” to anyone for anything.
We want to build our own life with it’s castle and kingdom. We don’t want anyone to help us because then we feel dependent on others, and we don’t want that. We want to seem strong and independent. Most of all we don’t want to thank God for anything. But the reality is, He’s given us EVERYTHING especially His Son Jesus to be a bridge to Him.
The Pilgrims came and gave thanks to God not because everything went well with them. They lost many to hunger or disease, but they still celebrated the fact that God was still loving them through the difficulties. Even Thanksgiving, many people forget that God is the one that has put that delicious spread on the table, so that we can enjoy the abundance of food.
Let’s not go too fast into Christmas, but let’s take a moment on Thanksgiving to thank the Lord for all the things you do have instead the things you don’t have. Let’s give Him all the glory and worship for He is to be “thanked” for the blessings in your life. This is why we are thankful - “...for He is good, and His love endures forever”.