Being Thankful

Yes, I know it's been awhile and no, my silence isn't because I've been mourning the election! While my Choice did not win, I now make it my obligation to pray every day for the man that will now be my President. While I am certainly not an Obama fan, I am proud that our Nation elected a person of Color to our Nations highest office. The one thing that this Campaign did show me is that we still have a long way to go in race relations but I do believe we are getting there. Anyway, enough about Politics. ("poly" meaning many and "tics" meaning blood suckers)

As we roll up to Thanksgiving day, we enter that time of year where our thoughts go to those really important things! You know, the Black Friday sales at all the Stores!

I spoke last Sunday about the 10 Lepers that Christ healed. Their healing wasn't an instant miracle, as many of Jesus' miracles were but He told them to "go and show your self to the Priests" and the Bible states that "as they went" they were healed. We know from the Scripture that they were all healed but only one of the ten returned to thank that One who had healed them all. It's one story in the Bible that I personally wish more had been written about. What ultimately happened to the other Nine? What were they thinking?

But then, as I look at it honestly, I see our Society and myself in that same state on many occasions. Why aren't we more thankful, more frequently? Why does it take tragedy, many times, to get us to look at what's important? Why do the unimportant things so frequently occupy our time?

I'm sure not saying that I have all of the answers to those questions. Too often I am like Paul in that King James butchered verse. "The good that I want to do, I don't do because I'm too busy doing things that keep from doing the important things!" (or something like that!)

But as I look at life and the years that are starting to become the "vapor" that the Scripture speaks of, I am becoming more determined to concentrate on and be more thankful for the things that really matter.

The last thing about the Lepers that I didn't touch on Sunday but has really lept out at me this week is this. There are no more recorded instances of even the one Leper coming back to Christ, after his initial return. That set me to thinking. (yeah, a dangerous thing) If someone were to make you rich, give you all of the Money you would ever need, asking nothing in return, how would you remember them? They would be on my eternal Christmas Card list! I would go out of my way to make sure that if they ever needed anything, I would be "the guy!" But the funny thing is that all of the money in the World cannot buy a cure for leprosy nor for the Sin which does so easily beset us. I'm asking God to give me new perspective and a heart filled with Thanksgiving, every day!

Happy Turkey Day to you all!