Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him
with music and song. For the LORD is the
great God, the great King above all gods. Psalm 95:2-3
Submitted by Lance Gibson
This year I will celebrate my 25th Thanksgiving. As I look back, I can’t help but notice how
the things in which I am thankful for have changed and adapted as I continue to
grow. Early on I was thankful for my
toys, my awesome bunk bed, and my dog Tiger.
This was the only world I knew, one in which I was always provided for
and taken care of in every way imaginable.
As the years went on my attitude and awareness changed and I became
thankful for my best friend Devin (most of the time), my time that I spent
outside instead of doing homework, and that the assigned seating landed me next
to the prettiest girl in school. Now, as
much more time has passed, I find myself thankful for my wife, my family, and
the life that God allows me to live every day.
With time, and a little maturity, our scope changes in what we find
value and give thanks for. I can’t help
but notice this evolvement in my relationship with Christ. As a child, I once was only thankful that God
made me a boy and not a girl. As I grew
and began a relationship with Christ, I was thankful for salvation and that I
would have the security of Jesus’ blood knowing that my future was in Him. Later I would begin to understand his
provision and realization that every good and perfect gift comes from Him
(James 1) and that all the labor I could muster would not gain me the things
that I truly need. And now, in ways I
did not previously know, I find myself simply being thankful for His
presence. For now I know that where I
go, He goes before me. That Christ is in
the Father and that I am in Christ and nothing can change that (John 14). I understand now why Moses was so concerned
that the Hebrew people not only receive provision from God, but that His
presence would go with them (Exodus 33).
For if not accompanied by His presence, there would serve no purpose in
going forward. These are the things that
as I continue to sharpen myself into the image of Christ I find value in. Certainly I am thankful for Him saving me and
for his never-ending provision, but as circumstances change and life hits, I
know that His Spirit is alive in me and goes with me all the days of my life. For that, I am most thankful.
The following was submitted by
Donnie O’Fallon:
Growing up in South
rural Arkansas, our holiday festivities were surrounded by the crops being laid
by, the fall hunts and the time around the tables surrounded by family. We had
very little money so made the best of what we had and we enjoyed spending our
time with family. Now, every year, year after, seeing the fall foliage my mind
carries me back to a time, when as a boy between the ages 9 – 14, I was growing
up on a farm where my dad was a “share cropper”, of several hundred acres.
We raised rice and soy
beans. By the end of late October through mid-November the crops were in the
silos. The days are then spent working on and repairing equipment a half day
and hunting the other half of the day. We hunted squirrels, rabbit, deer, and
ducks. We put the meat in the freezer and ate it through the winter. In my mid-teens,
my dad began working elsewhere and I moved to another area of Arkansas. It was
there I met Marsha and later married. The traditions of the holiday however
continued. Now it was more time spent with Marsha’s family rather my dad and
some friends. A Father-n-law and three brothers-n-laws and myself and now my
young son, would get up on Thanksgiving Day before day light and go to the deer
woods. We’d usually return early to mid-morning to have breakfast, then clean
and prepare the game for the freezer. By early afternoon the Thanksgiving feast
was ready for the family of 20 or so to join together and partake. Every year
for several years we did this and what wonderful memories we made.
Now, mine and Marsha’s
dad are deceased and her mother is in a nursing home unable to remember
anything. I have a brother-n-law and a son who are now in heaven, nieces and
nephews married with their families of their own and new traditions. No one
lives in the house where so many memories were made.
As I reflect those days and
times, I’m Thankful for at least 4 things:
1.
I
treasure their lives and the wonderful times we spent with them and for their
memories.
2.
I am
more blessed today and am a better person for what I learned about myself and
life in those times.
3.
I’m
learning to be thankful for what I’ve had and have not for what I’ve lost.
4.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity
under heaven…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). He’s the
giver of every good gift!
Scripture to Claim:
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you
in Christ Jesus. For in him you have
been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge--1
Corinthians 1:4-5
