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“Giving Thanks for my iPhone and Beach House”
We’ve finally arrived! Well, sort of. What am I referring to? I suppose I could be talking about anything, but one thing I’m thinking about is our arrival at the Holiday Season. For many of us, the “What’s Next” is Thanksgiving. Food, Fun, Friends, and Family will take center stage as we give thanks to the LORD for all that we’ve received.
Make no doubt about it. When Thanksgiving was first celebrated in the 1500-1600’s (depending on which date you prefer), the purpose was to give thanks to God for God’s blessings. A meal is included because our ancestors were most thankful for their lives and the basic sustenance provided by the LORD. In other words, they were thankful because they had food to eat, water to drink, and a roof over their heads.
Most of us don’t understand what it means to be hungry. Sure, I get hungry after a long day, but I’ve got food in the pantry. The first settlers in this country didn’t have food readily available to them. They were truly hungry. As Native Americans befriended the early settlers and taught them how to hunt, fish, gather, and grow their own food, I bet it seemed like God had reached down from heaven and personally put food into their mouths.
Throughout human history, the search for food has both established kingdoms and ripped empires to the ground. It has always been a big deal. In fact, it’s only in the last seventy-five years that we could obtain fresh produce year-round. Until then, we had to plan our diets around seasonal changes in the weather, being very careful of what we consume and when we consume it.
I’m very aware that some parts of the world still function just like this. Food is scarce. When food becomes available, they must conserve and preserve it carefully so that they can have something to eat tomorrow. Actually, 10% of the world is still considered to be hungry, or about 735 million people. Yes, that’s right. 735 million people are hoping they find something to eat today, let alone tomorrow.
This year, we have plenty of reasons to thank God. The new iPhone is important, although I could live without it if I had to. My house at the beach is fantastic, but if my only shelter was a lean-to in the middle of the Everglades and my roommates were pythons and gators, couldn’t I still be thankful?
Fortunately, that’s not my situation and it’s probably not yours, either. We all have so many reasons to Give Thanks to God that our blessing before the Thanksgiving meal should last all day. But, really, to refrain from causing a household riot this Thanksgiving, do like you’ve been planning to do. Give thanks for your iPhone, beach house, and the food on your table. Except this time, be honest with God and mean what you say.
God Bless, Brock.
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