Giving Thanks

It was Thanksgiving Day and quite the spread stood before us.  There were sweet potatoes and salad, turkey and corn, yeast rolls and two different kinds of jelly. Around the table, four hungry children sat eyeing it all like ravenous wolves.

"Let's pray," I said and launched into a pre-Thanksgiving meal prayer.

About halfway through my prayer, a little voice came from the high chair to my right, "Amen?" it said in a plaintive tone.  Victoria, at least, was sure that I was getting long winded and she was ready to eat.

I know that there are many people who do not bow their heads and pray before meals, but I always do. 

When I was a boy, I heard people say that they were "blessing the food" and I believed that the longer the prayer, the more the food needed blessing.  I have had a few meals which a ten minute prayer would scarcely have been long enough to carry me through them.

But I don't pray before I eat to protect myself from intestinal parasites, or even a case of indigestion.

I am not asking for a blessing on myself or the people around me, not even a blessing on the hands of those who prepared the meal, rather I am giving thanks for a meal that I don't really deserve.

It is easy for me to fall into the trap of thinking that because I work hard, that I have earned the food that is set before me and the other blessings that may come my way through the day.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

My family and I have been blessed by God and there are many in this world who have much less than we do.  I don't know why God has blessed us so richly, but the least I can do is to bow my head and three times a day say "Thank You," to the One who never stops giving.

Whether I am sitting down to a three course meal or a liverwurst sandwich, I would pray.

Truly, the beginning of a grateful heart is simply remembering to say "Thank You."

A Thanksgiving Parable

It came to pass that one day, I did meet a woman with whom I am acquainted.

And I said to her, "What doest thou here?"  For, it was her Day Off.

"I'm just getting ready to brush my teeth," she said.  "For, my way will pass through the office of my dentist today."

"Verily, they will For Sure be glad you brushed your teeth prior to going there," I said.

"I must confess," she told me.  "That I thought by the time I got to my age, I would not have to visit the dentist any more."

"I suppose, you could request them to pull all of your teeth when you go today,"  I told her.  "That certainly would save Much Time in the future."

The woman was greatly silent for a period of time and then she said, "I think I would rather keep going to the Dentist."

As I reflected upon it, it struck me that there are many who would rather complain about their Dentist than thank the Lord who gave them teeth that still may chew a Hamburger Patty from their favorite Burger Joint.  For truly it is far easier to complain than to give thanks.

To judge from Facebook and Twitter, people are often Upset and don't have a whole lot to be grateful for.

But for me, I am glad that I have Teeth to Smile, a Voice to Praise my God, and a Heart to Love Him.

Above all, I have a desire to push away complaining and Be Thankful.

A Twenty-Five Hour Day

Last Sunday we got an extra hour.

A twenty-five hour day happens once a year.  Of course, in the spring we'll give that hour back and have twenty-three hour day in recompense.

It wasn't always this way in the Hoosier State.  When I moved to Indiana in the year 2000, it was still on "God's time," never changing clocks backwards or forwards -- just on Eastern Standard Time throughout the year.

Being from Ohio, it took awhile for me to get used to the concepts of "Fast Time" and "Slow Time."  Figuring out whether Louisville was on the same time as we were was pretty crucial to making sure that my patients arrived on time for their appointments (Louisville did spring forward and fall back).

Now, we have daylight savings and change like most of the rest of the country twice a year.

I have often wished for an extra hour in my day.  It just seems as though when paper work is piling up, or there are more patients to be seen than I can fit into my schedule, that an extra hour would be pretty handy.  At the same time, I have to ask myself what I did with the extra hour I was given last weekend.

I think that maybe I got a little more sleep than usual that night, so that is part of the hour.  I also took at least seven and a half minutes setting all of our clocks forward, so there is a little more of the hour.  But for the rest of it, I am not totally clear on what I did with it.  I know it is gone now, but I certainly didn't do anything particularly important or memorable with it.

The Book of Ephesians in the Bible tells us to "make the best use of the time, because the days are evil."  That is to say, we are to make sure that the things we do and accomplish with our time are worth the time we devote to them. 

This is a passage speaking about intentionality and purpose.  I will use up the time allotted to me each day, whether or not the things I do with it are worthwhile.  The only way I will use my time in a worthwhile way is if I plan to do so.

What would I do with a twenty-five hour day?  Exactly the same things I do with the twenty-four hour day I am given currently -- just a little more of them.

That's a scary thought -- if I am not intentional with how I am using my time right now.

Behold, I Am Coming Soon

The clock is ticking down to one of the most difficult presidential election decisions that I can remember.  Two of the most disliked people in America have somehow made it to the point where one of them will be elected President of the United States.

Many Americans feel like they are choosing between getting cancer or, heart disease.  They aren't enjoying the choice.

The good news, in a time of anxiety like this, is that God is still in control and He always has been.  That does not mean that bad things can't happen -- they have in the past and they will in the future.  What it does mean is that neither Donald Trump, or Hilary Clinton can alter the goal that God has for this earth.

As I think about it, maybe we are headed for the last days spoken of in Revelation.  I certainly don't understand most of that book, except to see that it is filled for the most part with images of death, despair, and judgment.

It would be easy to panic when thinking about a future like that.

There is one other message that is repeated three times in the final chapter of Revelation:  "Behold, I am coming soon."

It is a promise to those who love Jesus that one day He will return in the clouds.  And not death, or life, or angels, or things present, or things to come will be able to keep His people from His side in that day.

I have a feeling that dark days are ahead, but there is one promise I hold to through it all, "Behold, I am coming soon."