Look Up And See! And Then Give Thanks.

Writing an "I'm thankful" message on the holiday tablecloth.

Thanksgiving approaches. For many it's just a day of gluttony: food for the belly and football for the eyes -- two f words. Throw in a third -- no not that one -- fun. For many that's the meaning of life. Find all the fun you can in food, frolicking and you know what.

But none of those words impinge on the name of the feast -- thanksgiving. How many in our culture of continuous excess and amusement give a moment's thought to expressing gratitude. The first thing the Christian should do on waking up and putting his feet on the floor should be to thank God for another day -- whatever it brings. Today here in Woodstock it's glorious. But I'm especially thankful for something that's missing. We haven't seen a bird in our yard for almost a week. The feeders swing still filled with the seeds my husband put in last week. No bird song welcomes us in the morning. The silence is deafening. And so I think of how grateful I am for the birds whose absence fills me with a sense of loss and an eager prayer for their return. We've never seen this in 23 years of living here. 

Did I ever think to thank the Lord for the birds when they fluttered around the feeders? When I was laughing at their contest with the squirrel did I stop and consider the God who made them? When they return (I'm optimistic.), I will never fail to thank God for them again.

Gratitude has often been called the parent of all the other virtues. Are there any situations where gratitude is impossible? Victor Frankl, in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, describes the tiny sparks of hope that helped people survive the concentration camps. Another prisoner, Fr. Gordon MacRae offers that same vision of hope in his post today at Beyond These Stone Walls: "...even the worst plight affords an opportunity for thanksgiving. We must not let those moments pass by unnoticed for our very souls depend on them." Read the article and give thanks for your freedom. 

Holidays in the Hoosegow

I trust few of my readers spend their days in the gulag or in locked cells. But how many in our culture of death travel with their eyes fixed down, lamenting their victim status and blaming the world for their misery? Look up, foolish people. See the smile on a child's face as he swings up into the sky. Watch the grasshopper leaping in the garden as if jumping for joy. While you look down pick up a huge golden leaf and fan your face with it. Thank God for every bite of food you take and every sip of clean water or good red wine. Feel the bliss of being created in God's image. Rejoice and be happy! You are loved by God Who will never fail you despite every evil that befalls you in this Valley of Tears. Nothing can separate us from God's love. Keep your eyes fixed on Him and you will never fail to see the true, the good, and the beautiful.

May Jesus Christ be praised and thanked, NOW AND FOREVER!