Get it? Food for thought? Because it's Thanksgiving... I'm hilarious.
What are you thankful for?
That's the standard question we all ask and are asked on this weekend. It's a great time to reflect on the blessings in our lives, and there are so many. Our families, jobs, food on the table, our warm homes in the winter and cool homes in the summer, money in our bank accounts...the list goes on. One big one is freedom. This Thanksgiving weekend, a church will be bombed somewhere in the world. It won't be in central Ontario because we don't have to worry about that - we have freedom to worship. Big thanks for that.
But to look at the larger picture, Thanksgiving is one weekend out of 52. How many other times this year have we stopped just to give thanks to God? These blessings listed above are not just Thanksgiving blessings, they're with us everyday of our lives. So why don't we remember them and give thanks for them more often? Probably because we're used to them. Probably because we take them for granted. Probably because we forget how lucky - blessed - we actually are. Probably because we're selfish and every other day of the year besides Thanksgiving, we complain about how little we have and we want more.
A few years ago I had an epiphany. We don't give thanks NEARLY enough. We ask and ask of God, but give thanks so much less. Let's be honest, a 10 minute prayer would consist of one minute of "Thank you God for..." and nine minutes of "Okay, here's what I need..." God loves to hear from and help his children, but still, shouldn't it be the other way around? It's a privilege to talk to God, not a right. We don't deserve to talk to Him, so it's a bit inconsiderate when all we do is ask. No one likes that friend who just uses them, but doesn't really want to get to know them.
Tell me if this rings true...you've got a big event coming up at your church/family/personal life. You spend months in advance praying for it. You organize prayer meetings at your church, make sure you spend time in prayer everyday as a family, spend lots of time in personal in prayer asking that all would go well. The big event comes, everything goes perfectly. You're thrilled! On a high! So thankful to God! You get together with your organizing committee/family and you have a celebratory dinner for a job well done. You make sure give thanks to God. And then it's done. Months of prayer in leading up to it, and a few short, measly prayers afterward to say thanks. Doesn't really seem equal, does it?
What are you thankful for?
That's the standard question we all ask and are asked on this weekend. It's a great time to reflect on the blessings in our lives, and there are so many. Our families, jobs, food on the table, our warm homes in the winter and cool homes in the summer, money in our bank accounts...the list goes on. One big one is freedom. This Thanksgiving weekend, a church will be bombed somewhere in the world. It won't be in central Ontario because we don't have to worry about that - we have freedom to worship. Big thanks for that.
But to look at the larger picture, Thanksgiving is one weekend out of 52. How many other times this year have we stopped just to give thanks to God? These blessings listed above are not just Thanksgiving blessings, they're with us everyday of our lives. So why don't we remember them and give thanks for them more often? Probably because we're used to them. Probably because we take them for granted. Probably because we forget how lucky - blessed - we actually are. Probably because we're selfish and every other day of the year besides Thanksgiving, we complain about how little we have and we want more.
A few years ago I had an epiphany. We don't give thanks NEARLY enough. We ask and ask of God, but give thanks so much less. Let's be honest, a 10 minute prayer would consist of one minute of "Thank you God for..." and nine minutes of "Okay, here's what I need..." God loves to hear from and help his children, but still, shouldn't it be the other way around? It's a privilege to talk to God, not a right. We don't deserve to talk to Him, so it's a bit inconsiderate when all we do is ask. No one likes that friend who just uses them, but doesn't really want to get to know them.
Tell me if this rings true...you've got a big event coming up at your church/family/personal life. You spend months in advance praying for it. You organize prayer meetings at your church, make sure you spend time in prayer everyday as a family, spend lots of time in personal in prayer asking that all would go well. The big event comes, everything goes perfectly. You're thrilled! On a high! So thankful to God! You get together with your organizing committee/family and you have a celebratory dinner for a job well done. You make sure give thanks to God. And then it's done. Months of prayer in leading up to it, and a few short, measly prayers afterward to say thanks. Doesn't really seem equal, does it?
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