For many, Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November is
the “ready, set, go” to the panic that has become the holiday season. I prefer
to think of Thanksgiving as a significant pause from the push and pull of life
– three or four days of reflection and calm before we have to rejoin the
crescendo of activity that builds until we gather on December 24 to once again
sing, Silent Night. Have you ever noticed how your soul longs for quiet and
contemplation and the world keeps screaming at us to run faster, jump higher
and perform louder.
How do we guard our quiet times from a world that wants to
push in on us and demand that we cut short our celebrations so as to not miss the
pre-black Friday sales? How do we say no to the noise that would crowd in on us
and demand our attention, suggesting to us that our contemplation needs to take
a back seat to sporting events and parades and food? Don’t misunderstand me.
I’m not a kill-joy! I love to watch football and the Macy’s Christmas Parade
and eat turkey just like every other AmeriCanadian.
I’ve discovered that what helps set my perspective is that I
have to have an object to my gratitude. I cannot just have a thankful attitude,
but I have to give thanks to the One who has provided the abundance that I
enjoy. I cannot just muse on the fact that I have more than most people in the
world and that I should somehow feel satisfied in that, but rather I must humbly
offer my thanks to the gracious God who provides for me and recognize that he
expects me to steward my wealth with that same spirit of gratitude.
So as we approach Thanksgiving, lets prepare for those
moments of quiet when we can express our thanks to Almighty God who blesses our
lives lavishly. In the midst of our abundance, lets practice contentment and push
back against the noise of greed and selfishness that wails at our door. Let’s
remind each other that our heavenly Father is the one who should be the object
of our praise.
