Why Thanksgiving?
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
I kept wondering and asked Grandpa, "Why is Thanksgiving just once a year? We have so much to be grateful for, so how can we limit it to one Thursday near the end of November, every year? I am so blessed I can’t even think of all of the ways God is good to me."
Cyclone was outside in our driveway, shooting baskets when I came out of the garage. "Are you ready for a game of Horse," I asked? "I think I'm up for a game with you," he replied. But he quickly added, "This shouldn't take long, which is a good thing. Look at the sky to the west."
I looked up and could see a cloud bank moving our way, turning the sky very dark. “Maybe we’d better get back in the house before it starts to pour," I said as I pointed towards the door. Cyclone tucked the ball under his arm and we scrambled inside. Sure enough, within minutes the rain was pounding on our roof.
After gobbling up a few cookies and a glass of milk, Cyclone wondered aloud, "Why did the rain need to start just now?" He jumped up and ran down into the basement. I followed close behind, just wondering what was on his mind. When we peeked into Grandpa's hunting room, we saw him praying about something. Soon enough, he finished and got off his knees and looked our way. “What’s on your mind boys," he asked?
Cyclone spoke up observing, “It’s almost Thanksgiving again. Will we be getting snow like last year? Right now it’s raining really hard."
Grandpa replied, "It does not look like it, boys. This storm is warmer than the one we had last Thanksgiving. It is coming up from the south, and last year it came towards us from the north."
"Grandpa, will we have company again this Thanksgiving, like last year? Will we go out and get a Christmas tree too, the day after," I excitedly asked?
"You boys are very full of questions this morning," Grandpa noted. "We will be going over to observe Thanksgiving with Michael and his family this year," he continued, "We can go search for a Christmas tree the day after. I plan to invite Michael to go with us. While we are out, we can get his family a tree too."
I kept wondering and asked Grandpa, "Why is Thanksgiving just once a year? We have so much to be grateful for, so how can we limit it to one Thursday near the end of November, every year? I am so blessed I can’t even think of all of the ways God is good to me."
"Blizzard, you make an excellent point," Grandpa observed. "You, Cyclone, and both of your sisters have an attitude of gratitude. For you it is not just a once-a-year feast and football celebration. Even when you’re having a rough day, you hardly complain and quickly move on. You appreciate everything God, family, and others do for you, but we set aside a special day each year to specially honor God. It reminds us how good God is, while showing Him our abiding appreciation for all He has done, and is doing, on our behalf. God wants us to always have a thankful heart. Other people appreciate, and like being around folks that have a joyful, thankful heart. But not everyone has thankful hearts. They may wear a frown and grumble a lot."
"Years ago," Grandpa continued, "one of the daughters of an admiral, who was a very accomplished man, said of her dad, 'He is the most even-tempered person in the United States Navy…He is always in a rage.' Even the president at that time knew of the admiral’s infamous demeanor and stated that, 'he must shave every morning with a blow torch.' I do not think people like that are very fun to be around. The admiral was either out of control, or could have managed his demeanor much better. Always being in a foul mood is not a very admirable trait."
At that Cyclone asked, "Grandpa, what if we didn't feel very blessed? What if we did not have a good year? Can we be in a foul mood?"
At that moment I spoke up. "Grandma and my illustrator/publisher have gone through lots of difficulty this year. Grandma has been feeling ill for months. Miss Amber and her daughter have taken two direct hits from big hurricanes recently and another one is headed their way right now! Both still have a very sweet disposition. In the battles of life, these ladies are not victims, but victors.
Remember, Cyclone, thanksgiving is an attitude. It is a choice. The circumstances we find ourselves facing need not take control of our thoughts and expressions of gratitude. We can choose to be grateful to God and look to Him for help in difficult times. Remember, no matter what has happened to us, God has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world. He has promised that those who have received Jesus as Lord will forever be with Him. Terrible things can and do happen, but those who have received Jesus are eternally blessed. The things we suffer here are very temporary and we will not suffer more than Jesus or many of His closest followers did. Being thankful does not mean we are not aware of suffering or are not hurting. It means we look past the temporary affliction we are dealing with and recognize God's hand in caring for us."
Grandpa added, "Boys, I believe it touches the heart of God when we trust, thank and praise Him. He knows about everything and is watching over us always. When we gather for Thanksgiving, we thank Him for all He does, and make Him the center of our celebration by reading an applicable Bible story and praying.”
Dear friends, this letter to you has touched on some very somber points. I wrote it because our family has had to understand this too. I know there are many who have suffered and are hurting. I just want to reassure you that God loves and cares for all of His children. You are not alone. You need not despair. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us how God wants us to look to Him in times of trouble and suffering. It says, "Casting all your cares on Him (God), because He cares about you." csb
I want you to have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I want you to enjoy each and every day. I want the best for all of my friends. Even if everything is not perfect in your life, honor God as He loves and cares for you. The scripture in 1 Chronicles 16: 34 says, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” csb That is true regardless of our circumstances.
If you enjoy letters from Blizzard, Please Share!