We know what’s going on in our country and all around the world with natural disasters, wars, and political division, just to name a few.
We read about it. We see it. We stress about it. We pray about it. And, even if we’re not directly in the middle of such things, life can be challenging for us all, to say the least.
That’s why a national day of Thanksgiving is so important. Because it should be a time to pause and thank God for all the ways he has blessed this country of ours, including the freedom we have to worship. Our celebrations should be rather simple. A prayer of thanks with food, family, and friends, maybe even a football game. It should be a day to kind of take a break and reflect on our many blessings, instead of dwelling on what we lack.
But for so many of us, the challenges of life can overshadow what this day should be all about. The travel and the traffic. The marketing machine that continues to encourage us to use the day to get a head-start on our Christmas shopping. The petty fights and disagreements that can happen when we finally get together.
Before we know it, this day that should be a day to give thanks to God almighty for his providential care becomes the opposite of what we might expect.
But you know what? The opposite of what we might expect is usually God’s way, and that’s actually the greatest blessing we could ever receive. Because even when we fail to acknowledge God’s work in our nation, or in our lives, because we are so focused on ourselves and our problems, he never fails to acknowledge us with his gifts of mercy and love.
This Thanksgiving may we pause, and “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 106).
By Pastor Lew Upchurch
Pastor Upchurch is the interim minister at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Santa Monica.
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