Thanksgiving--The Season That Never Ends

When we first returned from Ukraine with our newly adopted thirteen-year-old daughter, my dad went around the house with her, labeling things with sticky-notes.  Her repertoire of English vocabulary was very small, so he was helping to add to it.  I still smile when I remember his labeling of legs—"table leg," "chair leg," and "people leg."

Recently, I heard about another use for sticky-note labels that I've not been able to get out of my head.  Someone suggested that each of us ought to get two stacks of sticky-notes. On the notes in one stack, write the label "temporary" and attach those notes to everything that is just that—temporary.  Cars, computers, toys, furniture . . . even money.  You get the idea.  All the stuff that, in the end, will burn.  On the notes in the second stack, write "eternal" and stick those on people, because their souls are, in fact, eternal.

Even though I didn't actually make the labels, I now can't picture my stuff without seeing those labels attached in my mind.  And I find myself asking myself why I'm spending time on certain things that won't last or that won't impact the eternal in any way.

Surrounded by invisible labels, I've been thinking of their implication on my thanksgiving, too.  The temporary can certainly be cause for thanksgiving.  The glory and magnificence of the created world—all that we can see, taste, smell, hear, or touch—can point us to the wisdom and goodness of our Creator.  Majestic mountains, the cheerful sound of children's laughter, or the savory smell of pumpkin pie can inspire praise to our Father.  He is the one who gave us ears to hear.  He gave us eyes capable of seeing color and detecting depth.  He is the one who created flavor and gave us the ability to enjoy it.  As wonderful as the created world is though, it still gets a "temporary" label.  And that's really got me thinking.

I’ve tried to imagine being in what we'd be likely to call less-than-ideal circumstances.  What if I lost my sight?  What if I could no longer hear the laughter of children?  What if I were truly hungry or out in the cold?  What if my life were the one the Voice of the Martyrs magazine asked you to pray for?  What then?  In that light, a focus on the temporary seems terribly shallow.  What would I be thankful for then?  It would be the things that transcend and that can’t be stolen by circumstances good or bad.  Think of it!  If our joy is attached to the things that can’t be stolen, then our joy can’t be stolen either.  But if our joy is attached to temporary things . . .

God knows our hearts need a greater focus on the intangible blessings that are enduring, a focus that goes beyond thanksgiving for the albeit lovely, but nevertheless temporary.  It’s those eternal blessings that will remain and bring joy even when our lives are stripped of all those temporary things.

That's what the Apostle Peter was getting at in chapter one of his first letter:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away...”  

I find it interesting that Scripture focuses very little on the temporary, and even the examples of gratitude for temporary things point to God's character as Provider.  Not that I don't enjoy the temporary or won't be grateful for the blessings that I know will fade, but the temporary is definitely second tier, and the real issue is one of priorities.  Recognition of the enduring importance of the eternal is the cure for a hollow life.  Seeing with God's eternal perspective keeps us from being shallow.

So while I will still be thankful for temporary blessings, I'm all the more determined to cultivate an ardent attitude of gratitude for "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places," as Paul says in Ephesians 1.  Though I can’t attach sticky-notes to them, they are no less real.  I want my joy to be anchored to the eternal, not to the temporary.  If I’m anchored to the eternal, I can't be shaken.  I’m convinced that’s what Peter was talking about as his first letter continues:

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials … and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory … [Therefore] fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Yes, 'tis the season for being thankful.

If you know Jesus, the season never ends! 

By the way, parents, if we model a life of heavenly aligned priorities, we equip our children well to live a truly rich life.

"Godliness actually is a means of great gain,

when accompanied by contentment.

... Instruct those who are rich in this present world

not to be conceited

or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches,

but on God,

who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy."

I Timothy 6:6,17