The temptation to write the typical anodyne piece about Thanksgiving and all we have to be thankful is overwhelming. Its easy, quick and readers will smile and feel warm and fuzzy.
I thought I would make my life difficult and take a different approach. As you sit around the table tomorrow and make lists of those things that you need to thank the good Lord for providing, take a moment and consider just how much you were involved in the process.
There’s a story about a man who was caught on a roof top during a flood. He prayed to God to save him. A few minutes later a log floated by but he said, no, I’ll wait for God. Then a rescue boat, same response. Then a helicopter and the local fire department. Same response. The water was rising and finally he fell off the roof and drowned. When he met his maker, he asked why God didn’t save him — “What do you mean, I sent you a log, a boat, a helicopter and the fire department. All you had to do was get on.”
I wonder at this time of year if we don’t give thanks for the wrong things. We give thanks for the bounty, but not for the creative and hard working people that gave us the bounty. We give thanks for good health, but gloss over the scientists and doctors who worked endlessly to bring us that health. What about all those fancy electronics that connect us to the world, or keep planes in the air, or allow you to read this drivel.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the Maker provides the raw materials, and sometimes logs, boats, helicopters and fire departments, but we have to make wise use of them. We can’t sit by and wait to be saved. We must take action, or at least some must take action.
Perhaps this Thanksgiving we could list those who made the bounty possible. Police and firefighters who keep us safe, military who keep us secure, farmers who grow the food and energy workers who provide the power to get it to us and yes, maybe even our families, spouses, partners, and friends who work tirelessly so we can have that bounty.
Don’t get me wrong. We must remember the good Lord. Without God’s having our back, its doubtful if we could make the bounty happen. Hey, I guess one could say we make a pretty good team, God and us.
Please have a safe, wonderful, and Happy Thanksgiving. From all of us here at PT Media, All the Best.
JVH
