Much More Than We Deserve

This post is a long time in coming, but I have been doing a lot of thinking about Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holiday (next to Christmas) because I often need to get humbled.

I find it so ironic that Black Friday falls the day after we have a designated day to give thanks for all we have. Many are heading out at night to get the best deals. Many are rushing around from store to store, Thanksgiving day, to get all that they “need.” I have to admit, it makes shopping on Friday, that much easier for us who aren’t as crazy! Then Friday night, I heard stories on the news of people taking items out of carts, getting into fights over material goods, and even guns being pulled. Really? Over MATERIAL THINGS? Things that are fleeting? Things that break? Things that go out of style? Things that have no eternal value? I struggle with this.

Thursday we are reminded to be content. Then Friday our culture steps into discontentment and accumulates more and more. I will be the first to say that I did “buy in” to the deals – in fact, I got almost all of my Christmas shopping done. I bought a few things for myself – items to keep warm in, in the cold winters of Minnesota and a Cricut cartridge. Did I go crazy? I would say no. But what I try to prevent, is buying just because it’s a good deal or just because that is what we are “supposed” to do on Black Friday. Why do we so easily lose sight of what Thursday is about?

I remember times of discontentment in my life. I tried to fill my life with everything BUT God. Isn’t that what we all try to do at some point? Isn’t that why we need salvation? Realizing that we can’t do life on our own? In life, we buy and buy, trying to fill this “void” in our life. What are you filling your life with?

What/who are we serving? What are we living for? What are we giving our lives to? What are we working for? Are we solely working for money? Are we solely living to just obtain more and more “goods?” Goods that don’t last forever? I look back on Thanksgiving and the time we spent around the table together as a family. Those are the memories that will last forever. I look back at the laughs, the stories, the peace. I couldn’t be more thankful for what God has blessed us with – yet I tend to forget to take time to be thankful. Thanksgiving Day isn’t the only day I should stop and be thankful.

Everyday I want to wake up with an attitude of grace and thankfulness. I need to constantly keep myself in check when I shop (even though I am not a huge shopper). I don’t want to get caught up in what our culture deems as “material needs.” Black Friday was enough.

As we enter into this buying season, may we sit back and find contentment in what God has given us. I hope you find enjoyment in buying gifts for others, yet not lose sight of why we actually do it!

Be joyful always.
Be content.
Give thanks.