Letters from Paul

Thanksgiving . . . the beginning of the Holiday Season.  Doesn’t that seem fitting?  I am not sure there is any other way to begin the holidays than being thankful.  For many in this country, we enter a time that is accompanied by family gatherings, good food, and stopping to remember how blessed we are.  This is a time that holds many special memories and it is a time that both young and old look forward to.  I remember getting up and my parents would have the Thanksgiving Day parade on the TV and the last float or exhibit would always be Santa Clause on his sleigh.  I remember my mom always thinking we would have our turkey and fixins ready to eat by noon, but it never happened.  We always found things to snack on during the time between breakfast and lunch which would commensurate around 2:30 or 3:00 PM, so no one really cared.  Grandparents would come over and my brothers and I would always be entertained by conversations at the table and then we would find ourselves watching football and old movies during the remainder of the day as the late afternoon naps began to overtake all the adults.  There was one other thing that I failed to mention . . . there was ALWAYS . . . ALWAYS a time when we stopped to thank God for what he had done.  We thanked him for our family, for the food, for the opportunities during the past year, for our health and for His faithfulness as He watched over us.  Most importantly, we thank God for the gift of his Son and the salvation that He had provided.  In only a month, we would be remembering the birth of Jesus, but I wonder . . . are we losing our sense of thankfulness?  Why is Thanksgiving Day simply becoming another shopping day connected to Black Friday?  Why are Wal-mart, Target, and Toys-R-Us, along with other retailers, deciding to open their doors on this day?  Why is a day that has been set aside for “Giving Thanks” losing its importance?  Perhaps the question is simply, “As our country becomes more secular, what is the point of Thanksgiving when there is no one to thank?” continue reading more…