Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I know Thanksgiving is behind us but I think it is important that thanksgiving become more than just a one day a year holiday. It is good that we have a tradition of setting aside a day we call Thanksgiving. If your Thanksgiving was anything like mine the things that occupied most of your Thanksgiving was spending time with family, eating great food and watching great football. (Football was great this year because the Cowboys won.) And I don't think there is anything wrong with spending time with family, eating large amounts of good food and watching more football in a single day than I typically watch in a month. The point is we need to adopt an attitude of thanksgiving for every day of the year. When we are not intentional about thanksgiving we naturally fall into an attitude of entitlement. It is so easy to think that we deserve what we have. In fact, I find myself thinking that I deserve more than I have. It is hard to be thankful for what God has blessed me with when I believe I am entitled to more than I have. The other thing I have noticed about thanksgiving is that it leads to generosity. When I am thankful for what God has blessed me with instead of thinking I deserve more than I have, I am more likely to be generous. I begin to find joy in giving. Leaving a larger tip than expected, giving more than a tithe, contributing food to the food drive and buying a toy for a child's Christmas flows out of an attitude of thanksgiving... and it gives me joy. I hope this year my thanksgiving lasts more than a day. May we all be aware of the good things God have blessed us with. I hope to see you tonight. Bruce