A few days ago, I sat with our pastor as he shared a portion of a sermon from one of his favorite preachers. While I don’t know the title of the message, it was based on Ecclesiastes and it opened with a series of questions around, “What did you expect?” The speaker then detailed a number of painful life experiences of people he’s known where life fell way short of their expectations. As he surmised, underlying the question of “why” such things happened to them was the larger question of why GOD would allow such things in their life.
This coming Thursday is our annual Thanksgiving celebration. We arrive at this occasion because, in previous generations, leaders of our nation have recognized the gracious Hand of God in His provisions for us as a people. No matter your country of origin, recognizing these fruitful blessings from the Creator should be a duty to which we all joyfully aspire.
But many don’t. And I fear a major underlying reason why my fellow Americans miss the beauty of Thanksgiving relates to the question of “What did you expect?” Because our provisions have been so ample for so long, we’ve come to expect that the Almighty is required to provide them. He is not. They come to us only because of His most gracious care and compassion for His creation.
A second reason of ungratefulness is a more troubling one with political implications. It can be summed up in the word “entitlement.” From our earliest settlers in this land – Native Americans certainly included – food, shelter, and clothing demanded that you work to provide them! Prayer became a staple of life for early settlers because you knew weather and natural disasters could destroy your shelter. It could kill off your crops. It could hamper whatever efforts were needed to secure clothing.
The America of today has become the Land of the Hand-out. Government programs of all kinds help you through the insecurities of life. Total misuse of credit cards and terrible decision making are frequently ignored, as legal firms push the idea that this debt is “not your fault.” Of course it is!! But their rescue is worse! You are “entitled” to be free from this burden by using lawyers!
Consciously or not, parents pass this sinister mindset along to their children. By indulging in supplying the wants – well beyond the needs – of our children, the kids have learned to say things like, “Well, Tommy has an X box. Why can’t I?” In other words, “You are not meeting my expectations!” Or my preferred version, “I’m entitled to this!”
I see this played out in the most basic of ways. Rain falls and we complain. Rain doesn’t fall and we complain. (See the western states drought as an example.) We have restaurant workers serving us and kitchen workers preparing our food and we complain if it’s not perfect. The list is too long to continue.
The rubber really meets the road when people can’t take but a few moments each day to thank God for all of His blessings. As the old hymn says, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your MANY blessings. See what God has done.” Even a simple table prayer seems to push the boundaries for many.
Anyone reading their Bible would find that the starting point to move past entitlement is gratefulness. Thanksgiving.
There are too many Bible verses to cite. But here’s a good one. “I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.” Psalm 9:1 (NLT) Or read Psalm 111 in its entirety.
If you ever hope to have a meaningful Thanksgiving, best develop the practice of thankfulness all throughout the year. And teach it to your children. Let them know that God is the ultimate provider of all good things.
If we get that in perspective, we may quickly find ourselves on our knees. As Abraham Lincoln said in his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1864, “that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust.”
Come…ye thankful people... come! The table is waiting.
That’s Forward Thinking.
You can find a number of YouTube episodes and podcasts of Mark’s program, Moving People Forward at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCosyuBzdSh1mXIas_kGY2Aw?
For more information on the Elfstrand Group, please visit www.elfstrandgroup.com
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