A Thanksgiving Message
The old farmer sighed as he looked out at the fields, bare and brown. The harvest had been poor that year; the yields were meager. His family would have to scrape by a little.
As his wife called the children in for a humble supper, the farmer bowed his head. “I have so little to offer you this season,” he said. “The harvest has left us wanting.”
“Father,” said his youngest daughter, “we have so much to be grateful for. We have each other; we have our health; we have shelter and warmth.”
The other children chimed in with things they felt grateful for: freedom, community, and nature’s beauty. The farmer’s eyes misted over. His heart swelled with pride in his children’s wisdom and generosity of spirit.
“You’re right,” he said. “Our harvest may be sparse, but we have been blessed with all we truly need. We shall celebrate Thanksgiving with full and grateful hearts.”
The family joined hands around the table. Abundance comes in many forms, and blessings are there for those with eyes to see them. On that humble farm, a family’s love became the harvest that sustained them. Hope took root and blossomed, nurtured by gratitude. Their lives were enriched beyond measure.
It may seem like we have little to thank God for this Thanksgiving – just look at the world we live in today. Everywhere we look we see chaos. There are mass shootings and military on our streets. There is war in the world. There is a lack of empathy and compassion in our country full of division. Even our economy seems to be teetering on a fragile balance beam. And that is just what is happening in our world and nation.
In our own lives, we have feelings of fear and depression. Some of us are apathetic while others of us are filled with despair. Some of us are grieving. We have lost loved ones who will not be sitting at the table with us this year for the Thanksgiving meal. Others are grieving the loss of health that comes from a chronic illness or just old age. What can we be thankful for?
But look at those farmer’s children. We still have family and friends. We still have love and warmth. We still have each other to lean on when everything seems to be falling apart. And we have a God who will never leave us nor forsake us – a God who loves us in spite of ourselves.
Yes, our harvest may seem sparse, but we have much for which to thank God. So this Thanksgiving, remember those things, those big and little things, that God has surrounded you with: warmth, beauty, friends, family, community, shelter, and most of all, love.
~Michelle