Pastor's Blog

It’s that time of year

If you’ve shopped in any retail stores lately, you’ve probably been perplexed by this holiday that might be titled “HalloThanksChristmasNewYear”. Some retailers try to give each holiday it’s own calendar and shelf space but others simply run them together. This can result in some unplanned issues as you shop for Thanksgiving supplies while listening to Christmas music. It’s not a wonder that the “Holiday Season” goes by so quickly. About the time you are geared up for one, the next one is here.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving with family, friends, shopping, and time off work. What’s not to celebrate! Take a minute and rate your thankfulness quotient. On a scale of 1-10, how thankful are you? I venture to say that most of us would not rate ourselves as a 9 or 10. We want to be thankful, but some times there is a little sense of entitlement because of some action on our part. This time of year, and this holiday in particular, reminds us of the need to be thankful. With the expectation being so great most of us can muster up some thing(s) to be thankful for.

After spending some time in Haiti this summer, I am convinced that thankfulness is tied more to our attitude than our circumstances. It’s pretty easy to be thankful when you see others that have far less than you do. Last week I saw a guy building a mat under a bridge here in Muscatine. It was easy to be thankful for my warm house compared to him. But what if we have nothing? We can still be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “in everything give thanks”. Do you give thanks in everything? A thankful heart stems from a proper attitude, not a simple comparison. Will you develop an attitude of Thanksgiving? When you do, you’ll never regret it.

Pastor Dave

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