Thankfulness

Sometimes its hard to be thankful. When you are lonely or full of despair, or your life is stuck and you just can't seem to get past the same awful lesson that God keeps taking you to over and over and over again. Then we get to November, Thanksgiving. And its thankful day. Its unbearable if you are in that place of unthankfulness. I don't know if you've ever been there, but I have, and its painful.

Yesterday a boy was eating his way through the grocery store, he was hungry, and he got caught. It was thanksgiving day - they called the police, and they arrested him. He was only a teenager; far from home, hungry, and lonely. He didn't look like he was having a very good thanksgiving, and the police and grocery store were not hot on the compassion aspects of the day. Off he went with three policemen, probably still aching in his stomach.

I am not condoning shoplifting or anything like that, but there are very real circumstances in peoples lives that drive them to a place where thanksgiving is just not the first thing on their lips. Its strange but having been in this place once in my life now, I no longer feel the need to make them thankful! No more, OH COME ON YOU MUST HAVE SOMETHING YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR!!!!!

Sometimes its okay to just sit in the midst of a persons despair and just be with them, support them, and honor their story by listening. There will be a time of thanksgiving for them, a time and a season of rejoicing.

I think having walked through the valley of the shadow of death, this thanksgiving was even that much sweeter, that much more wonderful, that much more rich.

My cup floweth over.......