On the fourth Thursday in November we here in the USA will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. We have a lot to be thankful for, more than most of us probably realize and a lot of "little things" and big things too that we just take for granted and don't even give thought number one at how very grateful we should be for all that we have and not much if any thought to the one who has truly made it all possible, God, our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit for guiding us in the right direction. It is something to think about.
I'm thankful for a lot of things and I'm sure you are too... My family, having been blessed with four wonderful children, a lovely step-daughter, two wonderful sons-in law and a very lovely daughter-in-law and even more special, three absolutely delightful and wonderful grandchildren... My brothers and sisters, four of which I only met a little over a year ago... My parents and grandparents, though they are no longer with me here on this Earth, I would not be here or be who I am had it not been for them. Like all families, we've had our ups and downs and ins and outs but the love has always been there.
I'm very thankful for that. I love them all very much and I hope they have never had and never will have any doubt of that. We may not always like what someone does, and there it is, it is the action, not the person we have the difference with, but the love is always there.
I would do anything within my power to make my children's and grand children's lives better and happier because I love them. That doesn't mean I would hand life to them on a silver platter, one handout after another just because they want something, because they are my children... No way... but I'll give them a hand up any time I can, when and as I am able to. They still have to do their share, the footwork, be willing to follow, to accept, receive, appreciate and not just take, use, abuse and cry for more. They have to respect my rules and conditions, yet even when they don't, I still love them and when they don't listen, hear me and follow, it isn't that the love isn't there or the willingness to help.
It is them making their own decision to go it their own way for better or worse. It is their choice and it is them that win or lose, miss out on something better. They are adults. I can't and won't make decisions for them. They are free to live their lives as they choose but the door is always open and the love is always there No Matter What. The one thing I hope for is that they will be thankful and appreciate me as the parent, respect me, love me too. In most instances it is so but like in all families, sometimes it is not. That makes me sad but it doesn't stop me from loving them, no matter what.
It is this way with our Heavenly Father too. He loves us, no matter what. He certainly does not like everything we do, and we certainly are all very stubborn and badly behaved children from time to time but God loves us just the same. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, His only begotten Son to Earth to live, to teach, to serve, to die, to rise up from death and live again that we, through Him might, be saved from sin, our wayward ways. (John 3:16-17) Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He even wrote down a set of rules to guide us in living our lives. He has told us and showed us what we need to do to live a full, happy life for all eternity. He has been being the loving parent forever and even when we misbehave He still loves us... But, to receive the blessings of that love, we need to accept it, follow, listen to Him, hear Him, and do what He says.
Father knows best... really He does. The one thing He hopes for is that we will be thankful for all He has done for us, appreciate Him as a parent, respect Him and love Him. Not an awful lot to ask for all He does for us each and every day.
We have so very much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. Food, shelter, clothing, our heath, education, our jobs, the fact that we woke up this morning to live another day, the joy of sharing with others, friends, neighbors, teachers, co-workers, sunshine, rain, our pets, the wildlife around us, the vegetation, all our natural resources, everything that makes life possible, all those things we don't often think about. The list is endless. It may not always be everything we want or hope for but in any given moment it is all we need to the next moment and we would have absolutely none of this if it were not for our Heavenly Father, for God.
What would happen if He suddenly took it all away because we are unappreciative, we aren't thankful, we are disrespectful, and we don't show our love for Him?
