How many times have we heard this advise, "Be thankful for what you have because there are people who have far less than you do."? How hard is it to be thankful when you are in the middle of something like a job loss or the loss of a loved one or a marriage breakup? It's extremely difficult, in those circumstances, to say, I'm thankful for this or that because, let's face it, you are busy dealing with the day-to-day feelings and events having to do with your life. And sometimes life is cruel. It's hard. However, as my dear brother in Christ and my pastor says, "It could be worse."
Although it can be hard to give thanks while you are experiencing life's troubles, we should take time to look at the bigger picture of life and that's our eternal destination. Really and truly, the time we spend on this planet battling this or that is an extremely short time compared to where we will spend eternity.
Think of it this way, you go to the doctor to get your flu shot and you hate getting shots. Many people do hate that because it can hurt a bit. Well, think of the protection you get in the long term for a short term amount of pain. That's what life is. It's that very short pain we endure for a lifetime of pain-free, worry-free living with our heavenly Father. For that we should give thanks.
As Christ followers we experience what others experience. We go through times of anguish, of loss, of anger, but we have this to be thankful for, our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ knows exactly what we are going through and He cares for us. He helps us endure and get through those times and learn from those lessons. We come out of "the valley" better, stronger and able to tell others who experience the same things that it will eventually be OK because God Himself sees you through it all. For that we should give thanks.
So, my friends, if you are experiencing something negative in your life at this time of year, truly give thanks to God who will see you through it. Give thanks that you have the hope He gives us who have been adopted into His family. Give thanks that you have what you have even if it's not much. Give thanks that God gave His Son for you, so that you'd be able to have a relationship with Him.
To anyone, and I truly don't know if anyone reads this, but to those who do, thank you. Next time you're here, leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.
May you have a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving, finding something to thank God for.
May God bless you and may God bless America!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Christmas Parade Name Change Causes Fireworks
Every year the village of Patchogue, Long Island has a Christmas boat parade. It's very well attended (approximately 1500 people show up to see the parade) and has become a well-loved annual community event. That is until this year. The Greater Patchogue Foundation, who runs the annual event, decided that this year political correctness would rule. Apparently fueled by complaints that the Christmas parade was not inclusive enough (apparently all the atheists out there were insulted that they weren't represented in the name of a Christian holiday parade), the Greater Patchogue Foundation changed the name of the parade to the Holiday Boat Parade. Enter the Grucci Fireworks company who were sponsoring the parade.
For those who don't know, Grucci is a long-time and much admired Long Island company. The Grucci family has been providing spectacular fireworks displays for most of the major events around the New York metropolitan area and the country for many, many years. They are unmatched in the fireworks industry. Well, the Gruccis were providing fireworks for this year's Patchogue Christmas Boat parade and when they found out that Christmas was eliminated from the name of the parade, they pulled out. Good for them! Not only did they pull out of the parade, but they encouraged people to not attend. Well, it seems like people listened because the attendance was down a whopping 33% from years gone by. I say good for the Gruccis and all those who stayed away.
Let's face it, this is Christmas time, folks. The nativity display, colorful lights, the inclusion of Santa, the decorating of trees and the like are all CHRISTMAS things. They don't apply to any other celebration. Sorry to those who don't feel included in a celebration that they have no connection to. My advice would be to either embrace the Christmas theme of the year (like many Jews do in celebrating the "secular" (if there truly is such a thing) part of the season) or attend a Christian church at this time of year and see what all the joy and celebrating is all about. Otherwise, stop your bellyaching and come to grips with the fact that we are all different and celebrate different holidays and not everyone has to be included in everything. As a Christian, I don't lament that I am not included in the celebrations of Jews or Muslims.
Jesus was right when he said that "people will hate you because they hated me first." How true LORD.
So, this year, and every year, say "Merry Christmas". Don't deny the time of year. It's Christmas time! It's that time of year that we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Whether people believe in Him or not doesn't change the fact that He is who He is. And if people hate you for it, thank God, because He's the one who sustains us through the times of persecution and it's because of Him we suffer and what better sign in our lives that we are living a life pleasing to God.
Merry Christmas to all.
God bless you and may God bless America!
For those who don't know, Grucci is a long-time and much admired Long Island company. The Grucci family has been providing spectacular fireworks displays for most of the major events around the New York metropolitan area and the country for many, many years. They are unmatched in the fireworks industry. Well, the Gruccis were providing fireworks for this year's Patchogue Christmas Boat parade and when they found out that Christmas was eliminated from the name of the parade, they pulled out. Good for them! Not only did they pull out of the parade, but they encouraged people to not attend. Well, it seems like people listened because the attendance was down a whopping 33% from years gone by. I say good for the Gruccis and all those who stayed away.
Let's face it, this is Christmas time, folks. The nativity display, colorful lights, the inclusion of Santa, the decorating of trees and the like are all CHRISTMAS things. They don't apply to any other celebration. Sorry to those who don't feel included in a celebration that they have no connection to. My advice would be to either embrace the Christmas theme of the year (like many Jews do in celebrating the "secular" (if there truly is such a thing) part of the season) or attend a Christian church at this time of year and see what all the joy and celebrating is all about. Otherwise, stop your bellyaching and come to grips with the fact that we are all different and celebrate different holidays and not everyone has to be included in everything. As a Christian, I don't lament that I am not included in the celebrations of Jews or Muslims.
Jesus was right when he said that "people will hate you because they hated me first." How true LORD.
So, this year, and every year, say "Merry Christmas". Don't deny the time of year. It's Christmas time! It's that time of year that we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Whether people believe in Him or not doesn't change the fact that He is who He is. And if people hate you for it, thank God, because He's the one who sustains us through the times of persecution and it's because of Him we suffer and what better sign in our lives that we are living a life pleasing to God.
Merry Christmas to all.
God bless you and may God bless America!
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