From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
I heard a friend once say that he liked Thanksgiving better than Christmas because you get all the eating without the obligation of buying gifts.
I’m not sure that’s the best attitude to take but it is a wonderful time of the year for families to get together and share a special meal.
Really, we should not need any special occasion to be thankful.
Gratitude is something that we should be practicing on a daily basis.
Back in 1996 I went on a mission trip to eastern Ukraine.
With the fall of communism still a fairly fresh reality for these people, it meant that the economy was mostly depressed.
Most people had very little, but what they had they gave.
I remember one church where we preached where a spectacular lunch was served after the service.
I ate enough perogies to sink a ship, and that’s when I noticed her.
One of the ladies who served the meal had been there for several hours in careful preparation.
She beamed with gratitude when she saw my clean plate.
For her, this was the ultimate gesture of thanks.
She was just so grateful that two men from a faraway country would come to her village in Ukraine and preach God’s Word to them that she was simply busting at the seams to find a way to show her appreciation.
This meal was her generous offering.
Was I ever humbled!
Perhaps this Thanksgiving we can focus more on what we have and less on what we don’t have.
That is God’s way.
