Pausing to give Thanks
They
are here... the holidays, that is. As some read that sentence you will
think “Oh, no, it’s going to get busy.” Others will think “Yay! I
love the holidays!”
I fall in both categories I guess. The holidays are busy.. very busy. But, I still enjoy the fesitivities and music and spirit of the holidays.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself and you may be as well. BEFORE we jump into Christmas, we celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday may have, unfortunately, lost some of its impact. That’s sad because Thanksgiving should be more than just the “kick-off” to the holidays. Thanksgiving should be a time when we stop, and give thanks to the Lord for the blessings we have received. And, we have all received blessings.
We all have a tendency to dwell on the negative as opposed to being thankful for our blessings. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has done an interesting thing to remind him of those who have helped him. He has a “Wall of Thanks” in his office. On this wall are pictures of people who have helped him or mentored him along the way.
This week, there may be someone you need to call who has helped you and express thanks to them.
There is a story I heard years ago about a person sitting in a bar who looked very dejected and despondent. A person asked “You seem to be down, what’s the problem?”
The individual responded, “Well, a couple of months ago, an uncle passed away and I received a pretty good amount of money from his will.”
The person said “That’s great!”
The despondent individual continued “Yeah, and last month I got a pretty good raise at work.”
The person said “Well, that’s great. What could possibly be wrong?”
The dejected person said “So far, this month, I haven’t gotten anything.”
They obviously had a problem with thanks. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s be thankful for our blessings.
So, this week, let’s resist the urge to go past “Go” and plunge on into Christmas. Pause this week and give thanks to God for the blessings of life.
I fall in both categories I guess. The holidays are busy.. very busy. But, I still enjoy the fesitivities and music and spirit of the holidays.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself and you may be as well. BEFORE we jump into Christmas, we celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday may have, unfortunately, lost some of its impact. That’s sad because Thanksgiving should be more than just the “kick-off” to the holidays. Thanksgiving should be a time when we stop, and give thanks to the Lord for the blessings we have received. And, we have all received blessings.
We all have a tendency to dwell on the negative as opposed to being thankful for our blessings. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has done an interesting thing to remind him of those who have helped him. He has a “Wall of Thanks” in his office. On this wall are pictures of people who have helped him or mentored him along the way.
This week, there may be someone you need to call who has helped you and express thanks to them.
There is a story I heard years ago about a person sitting in a bar who looked very dejected and despondent. A person asked “You seem to be down, what’s the problem?”
The individual responded, “Well, a couple of months ago, an uncle passed away and I received a pretty good amount of money from his will.”
The person said “That’s great!”
The despondent individual continued “Yeah, and last month I got a pretty good raise at work.”
The person said “Well, that’s great. What could possibly be wrong?”
The dejected person said “So far, this month, I haven’t gotten anything.”
They obviously had a problem with thanks. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s be thankful for our blessings.
So, this week, let’s resist the urge to go past “Go” and plunge on into Christmas. Pause this week and give thanks to God for the blessings of life.
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