journey onWord with us

Later this week, we will all pause for our annual tradition of Thanksgiving. It feels different this year with all the rules and encouragements for smaller family gatherings, eating outside or six feet apart. But perhaps we can distinguish this as an “of the world” mindset and fix our minds, rather, on the freedoms of being “in the world.” The source of real Thanksgiving for all Christ-followers is our God, and He is still good. When it seems that all else has, His love has not changed. Please reflect on the following words, and lead your family and loved ones with this truth: He is good and His love endures forever.

Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, we can look back over the last year and say, as Charles Dickens did in A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times and the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”  Each year, our past and future will be part joy and difficulty, smiles and tears, new energy and tired bodies. In 1621 when the pilgrims gave thanks, it was not without recognition of the heartbreak of the last year. When President Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving a nation-wide holiday in 1789, he knew the struggles which were behind and before the people of the fledgling republic. But with a grateful heart, he declared it to be a day of prayer and giving thanks to God. Over 200 years later, the day is still special.  Joys and difficulties persist, but God is still good … and genuine thanksgiving to Him is in order.

Truth be told, for many, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday of the year. Families gather, the turkey and trimmings are great (and so are the leftovers).  Football comes in the afternoon, and for some it’s a four-day weekend. If you are like me, those items alone create thankfulness, but there has to be more.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts
with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 103:4-5

When life seems too difficult, He cares .. He is good and His love endures forever
When the sun is bright, and we can smile .. He is good and His love endures forever
When we pray, He has the answers .. He is good and His love endures forever
When we are fearful, grace is available .. He is good and His love endures forever
When hope fades, and no one understands .. He is good and His love endures forever

With all the joys and sorrows of this past year, one thing never changed. He is good and His love endures forever! It is easy to immerse ourselves in each new challenge, and forget that He is good and His love endures forever. In 1621, the pilgrims stopped in the midst of their struggle to give thanks. Should we be any different? He is good and His love endures forever.   As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, let those words ring clear. You may (like me) have a tendency to get caught up in all the earthly joy of the holiday, but God’s grace has been poured out on our country and our lives, and He deserves our deepest thanks and highest praise.

He is good and His love endures forever!