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CURRENT EDITION: 1st November 2009
November Brings...
by Katie Robertson
Thankfulness
Well, here I sit trying to think of something profound or clever for November. The first thing that pops into everyone’s mind is Thanksgiving. One of the main holidays of the year, it is a time to not only reflect and be thankful for the bountiful things God provides us with, but it often seems to be a time of extreme overindulgence. This is so apparent not only in our “feasts” when we get together, but in the day afterwards when myriads brave the streets and parking lots of malls for “bargains”.
Although it is a natural inclination to satisfy the desires of opulence, God’s word tells us to be of a different nature. I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8 NIV gives us a strong guideline to pattern our lives after in “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled…But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
I will be truthful and say that although I used to, I don’t stuff myself silly at a Thanksgiving meal anymore – not because the food isn’t there or that it isn’t worthy, but because I’ve finally come to the realization that I don’t feel too well after that. Hmmm…God must have been right when he challenged us to do everything in moderation.
I will also have to say that I do not delight in going shopping the day after Thanksgiving – that too is a practice in self-preservation. I love a bargain, and I’m sure God would approve of finding gifts at reasonable prices, but now when I try shopping on that day I find it a way too hectic for my liking. SO… now I shop a little through the year, and then some through December, and then perhaps this year I will even supplement with some homemade gifts. We might become slower and not quite as spry as we get older, but we get wiser, and I’m sure THAT is how God intended it as well.
Finally, I must be truthful and say that I start getting excited but also nervous the closer we get to Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is always so much to try to pack into those two months and the people we don’t get to see through the year are highest on the list to try to see. The sad thing is that isn’t always possible. So, I am sure, it is the same with others. There are lots of lonesome and sad people who look like they’re fine, but are hurting on the inside.
My inspiration this month of harvest and thankfulness is to look at people with new eyes. As in I Timothy 6:18 & 19 NIV it says: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Be thankful for God’s gifts to you but then find some way to share those gifts or even other ones with someone else. The gift doesn’t have to be expensive: it could be some homemade muffins or cookies, a small afternoon visit, an unexpected email, maybe even a card of encouragement.
The surprisingly joyful thing about blessings (that I hear and find over and over) is that the more you give, the more you get!
Although it is a natural inclination to satisfy the desires of opulence, God’s word tells us to be of a different nature. I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8 NIV gives us a strong guideline to pattern our lives after in “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled…But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
I will be truthful and say that although I used to, I don’t stuff myself silly at a Thanksgiving meal anymore – not because the food isn’t there or that it isn’t worthy, but because I’ve finally come to the realization that I don’t feel too well after that. Hmmm…God must have been right when he challenged us to do everything in moderation.
I will also have to say that I do not delight in going shopping the day after Thanksgiving – that too is a practice in self-preservation. I love a bargain, and I’m sure God would approve of finding gifts at reasonable prices, but now when I try shopping on that day I find it a way too hectic for my liking. SO… now I shop a little through the year, and then some through December, and then perhaps this year I will even supplement with some homemade gifts. We might become slower and not quite as spry as we get older, but we get wiser, and I’m sure THAT is how God intended it as well.
Finally, I must be truthful and say that I start getting excited but also nervous the closer we get to Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is always so much to try to pack into those two months and the people we don’t get to see through the year are highest on the list to try to see. The sad thing is that isn’t always possible. So, I am sure, it is the same with others. There are lots of lonesome and sad people who look like they’re fine, but are hurting on the inside.
My inspiration this month of harvest and thankfulness is to look at people with new eyes. As in I Timothy 6:18 & 19 NIV it says: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Be thankful for God’s gifts to you but then find some way to share those gifts or even other ones with someone else. The gift doesn’t have to be expensive: it could be some homemade muffins or cookies, a small afternoon visit, an unexpected email, maybe even a card of encouragement.
The surprisingly joyful thing about blessings (that I hear and find over and over) is that the more you give, the more you get!