Tuesday, November 16, 2010
One Thanksgiving season a family was seated around their table, looking at the annual holiday bird. From the oldest to the youngest, they were to express their praise. When they came to the 5-year-old in the family, he began by looking at the turkey and expressing his thanks to the turkey, saying although he had not tasted it he knew it would be good. After that rather novel expression of thanksgiving, he began with a more predictable line of credits, thanking his mother for cooking the turkey and his father for buying the turkey. But then he went beyond that. He joined together a whole hidden multitude of benefactors, linking them with cause and effect. He said, "I thank you for the checker at the grocery store who checked out the turkey. I thank you for the grocery store people who put it on the shelf. I thank you for the farmer who made it fat. I thank you for the man who made the feed. I thank you for those who brought the turkey to the store." Using his Columbo-like little mind, he traced the turkey all the way from its origin to his plate. And then at the end he solemnly said "Did I leave anybody out?" His 3-year-older brother, embarrassed by all those proceedings, said, "God." Solemnly and without being flustered at all, the 5-year-old said, 'I was about to get to him.'
This story is a reminder that because all we have came from God, we should not leave Him out of our Thanksgiving Celebrations. If you are born-again, THANK GOD! If you have earthly possessions, THANK GOD! If you have a family, THANK GOD! If you have good health, THANK GOD! And something that is not so easy is to thank God when you do not have good health, material possessions, or a family that loves you. No matter what your circumstances in life may be, THANK GOD! Be thankful for the breath He is giving you right at this moment! The LORD JESUS CHRIST is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise!
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4