“I have learned the secret of being content in every situation!” Philippians 4:12
I pray that you and yours are well and that your Thanksgiving celebration was a feast of food, love, and deep thankfulness.
I love Thanksgiving Day among all the holidays because even though it is not a religious holiday, it is the one day when we come closest to getting our hearts and our loves in the right place. I love this day for so many reasons: most Americans get to take the day off or take some time from their regular lives so that they can rest, play, and eat together; it’s a moment of calm and sanity, an eye in the storms of life; most of us sit down to a meal, even those of us who are hungry and homeless; we take some of the simplest, most inexpensive food and make it a banquet.
Thanksgiving Day gives us a tangible moment to experience the truth that it does not really take much to give us deep physical, emotional, and spiritual pleasure. We can be thankful for the triumphs and trials of our lives and draw closer to the kingdom of God, simply by giving thanks.
Finally, I love this day because it reminds me of the paradox of learning to give thanks when life is going well and when life is so difficult, that we struggle to make sense of our own challenges and those of the ones we love. It is the one day when almost all of us will remember that life itself, whether easy or hard, has been given to us as a gift from God who knows and loves us.
The Christian life on Thanksgiving Day and the other 364 days of the year, is a life of blessings and of giving thanks. Gratitude and thanks are the key that opens the door to the life lived in God’s closer presence and God’s peace that passes understanding. That is why St. Paul can say that he has found contentment in every situation; he has recognized this life, salvation, and God’s presence are gifts that call for thanksgiving.
So, let me invite you to the true life of contentment and life in God. Look for the blessings in your life and give thanks. For when we do, we will find the presence of God and true contentment.
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. W. Frank Allen
Rector
By Eric Enstrom – http://thecatholicspirit.com/commentary/twenty-something/snapshots-of-grace-capturing-the-sacred-in-daily-life/ link, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37941804