Thursday, November 29, 2012

What's At The Top Of Your List?

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you — Philippians 1:3 (NASB95)

Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves. – Henry Ward Beecher

We’re about to celebrate one of best holidays. Thanksgiving will happen this week. I don’t think I know anybody who doesn't like Thanksgiving. Even if it’s just the food and football, this is one nice holiday.

Folks will travel to visit family and friends. Some people will cook for days. They will put on a spread that would feed three times more people than will gather around the table. There will be special recipes. At our house, we’ll have my mother’s cranberry salad, just as an example. It works sort of like a garnish for the turkey and dressing. Then again, it’s a special side like the veggies. You could eat it for dessert. Mid afternoon, it works just fine as a snack. I don’t know why we don’t eat this stuff all year long because it is flat good.

Add to all that turkey (smoked, roasted, grilled, fried, stuffed - just to name a few), the ham, and the brisket. I know, I’m making you hungry. See, I told you everybody likes this holiday, even if just for the food.

The sad part of Thanksgiving is that it gets short-changed. Right between Halloween and Christmas is not a good location. The stores tend to overlook it. You can’t find good Thanksgiving celebration decorations. That’s because we go right from ghosts and goblins to Santa Claus. Too bad we don’t slow down just a bit so we can take in Thanksgiving in a way that promotes real gratitude.

I always like to encourage people to be thankful on Thanksgiving. I don’t mean in some theoretical way. I mean be thankful in a specific, practical way. Take the time to be thankful. If you have to make a list, then get out the pencil and paper. It wouldn't hurt to make a few phone calls just to tell people you’re grateful for them. If you do that, it might surprise a few folks, but believe me, they won’t forget it. Neither will you.

Of course, somebody will always say, “We should be thankful every day!” Of course we should. But there’s nothing wrong with making a special effort, on a special day, to be especially thankful for God’s blessings. If you can’t do that one day, I suspect you won’t do it on other days either. Let’s start. What’s at the top of your list?

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