I went to the grocery store today after church to pick up some things for Wanda to make supper tonight. I noticed that people were unusually friendly and nice. I talked with several shoppers about what brands they were buying and what they were doing for the holidays. It was almost as if Thanksgiving was refocusing everyone on the things that really matter in life… faith, family and friends. You know, the things we have a tendency to take for granted in the mundane routine of life; that is, until we lose them.
A survivor of a shipwreck who spent days on the open ocean without food and water now says he never complains about anything if he has something to eat and drink. I complain a lot, especially when I don’t take time to smell the roses. I notice when I lose my attitude of gratitude, everything around me starts to stink.
That reminds me of a story. A grandfather was napping on the sofa one Sunday afternoon and his grandkids decided to play a practical joke on grandpa. They spread limburger cheese on his mustache. When he woke up he said, “It stinks in here.” Then he went into the kitchen and opined, “It stinks in here, too.” He decided to go outside and take a whiff. “The whole dadgum world stinks!” he yelled.
Most of the time, it’s not the world that’s stinking. It’s my stinking thinking… my pitiful, ungrateful attitude. The apostle Paul said:
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” (Philippians 4:6-9 MSG).
I’ll bet if we all slowed down enough to reflect upon our blessings, we would have a lot more to be thankful for than we imagined. It’s a shame that it takes a holiday to remind us. As we journey with our Lord, every day is a holy-day. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. Every day is a gift of His grace to live and love and enjoy. We get to choose how we are going to live every single day. We can live praising and thanking, or griping and complaining. The world would smell a lot sweeter if we opted for the former.
“Lord, I thank You for my family… my brothers and sisters in You. They are my friends. A friend is someone to whom you can pour out the entire contents of your heart… wheat and chaff together… knowing that the kindest of hands will take… sift it… keep what’s worth keeping… and then with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away. We get by with a little help from our friends. And You are the best Friend of all. We love you lots, Papa. THANK You! Thank YOU! THANK YOU! Amen.”
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and that you will keep that spirit alive throughout the year. Shalom y’all!
Blessings,
Kenny
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