Thursday Thoughts

November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving! Do you know the iconic painting done by Norman Rockwell entitled, "Freedom from Want"? The grandparents are carrying a platter laden with a scrumptious turkey to a beautifully adorned table. The well-dressed family is seated around the table with smiles on their faces as they gaze at the feast before them. They give the impression that everything is perfect in their world but we know in 1943 when the painting was done, WWII was still raging and still had two long years before the war would be over. Rockwell wanted to convey the message that even in turbulent times there was much to be thankful for.

 We also have so much to be thankful for and I know that sometime during the day you will take time to give thanks. We will eat too much, watch parades or football, and maybe take a nap after a big meal. We might even start putting up Christmas decorations and look at calendars to see how everything can be squeezed into the next month. Whatever we do, we know we are blessed.

 What about those who have no such blessings? Are our blessings a sign that God loves us best and has shown us favor by giving us good things? Let's deconstruct some of our blessings and see if God would love us any less if we were denied them. I think of Job and his experiences and no matter what he had removed from his life, he still praised the Lord.

 What if our family was taken away from us? Would God love us any less?

 What if our home and possessions were gone and we were left with little? Would God turn his back on us?

 What if our job or source of income was no longer available to us? Would God ignore us?

 What if cash and financial resources were no longer available to us? Would God love us any less?

 Does God love a child who is at the point of starvation in Sudan any less than us? What about the family fleeing from war with only a backpack on their back, are they lesser in God’s eyes?

 What about the person nearing the end of life for lack of medication in a remote village, does the Lord look less favorably on them?

 My point is this. We have so much to be thankful for, yet the thing that we are to be most grateful for is that God loves us and no matter what we face on this earth, if we claim him as our Lord and Savior, we are his and the hurt we may know here is temporary. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

 What we see as problematic is part of the process we live through on earth. Our time here is so short that we mustn’t fold to the pressures and disappointments nor take too seriously the riches that we possess. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1. "But God demonstrates his love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. It is Thanksgiving every day when we know that truth.

 Put on your stretchy pants, eat another piece of pie, and watch some football.

Blessings,

Becky

Bridgewater UMC 

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