Thanksgiving '11

It's Thanksgiving Day, here in the good, ol' US of A. Our neighbors to the North celebrated it at the end of last month, those crazy Canucks (I have several friends up in "The Great White North", so I can say things like "crazy Canucks") - don't they know October 31st is Halloween? (hehehe).

I have a lot to be thankful for; friends, family, clothes on my back, a roof over my head, food on my table.... For whatever reason, God has seen fit to bless me; why He has chosen to do so remains a mystery to me. It's not because of anything I have done, to be sure. And it's not because I am someone special, at least, not someone special as far as the world is concerned; I'm not rich, or famous, or even particularly well-known. As far as the world is concerned, I'm about as "ordinary" as you can get. And yet, God has chosen to bless me. And I thank Him for that, especially this time of year, though not exclusively so.

I try to remember to thank Him every day; I don't always succeed. There's no excuse, really, but I still come up with some - I was too busy, too tired, too..."whatever". We all do, don't we? We get so caught up in the things that we are doing, that we forget to stop, reflect, and thank God for all of the blessings He bestows on us. Yes, I know that sometimes it doesn't feel like it. Maybe we get behind on the mortgage, or we loose our job, or both. We feel so lost and wonder if there is anyone who knows or cares what we are going through. I have been there. We all have, at one time or another. Perhaps some more than others, but a lot of how we perceive things to be depends on our attitude. Even if you think you have nothing to be thankful for, be thankful. If you were to really stop and think and search I guarantee you can find something.

But, if you don't think you can, then try reading up on Job (that's "J-oh-b", not "J-ah-b"). He was a man who served God faithfully - never wavering, always praising. And then, one day, he lost everything. And I mean EVERYTHING - his wives, his children, his cattle, his sheep, his houses, his land...the only thing that was left were the few rags that he was wearing. He even lost his health and had very painful sores erupt all over his body. And yet, he still thanked and praised God. Oh, sure - he questioned "What did I do to deserve this?", but he still praised God. It would have been easy to blame God - but he didn't. Yes, there was a brief time when he did ask God to just let him die - but even then he still praised God. Though he may have briefly lost hope, his overall attitude towards God remained positive.

But I did not intend this post to be a theological dissertation on Job (for one thing, I'm not qualified). No, the intent of this post was to simply express, in writing, my recognition of the blessings I have received, and give thanks for them. I certainly haven't done anything to deserve them. And while my fear is that this comes across as "self-righteous" or "bragging", that is not my intent either. For I know that things can change in a heart-beat. But even if that were to happen, I would hope that my overall attitude would remain "positive", and that I would not lose hope or blame God, but rather continue to thank Him for all that He has, is, and will do for me.

And it is my prayer that none of you will ever have to find out for yourselves how you would handle what Job went through, either. But should some tragedy befall you, be strong and keep a positive attitude. For attitude, while not "everything", is a major factor. Do not lose heart, or hope. For all you know, a change for the better is already here. Give thanks for the things that you do have. Always.