A Time of Thanksgiving…

I may be a little ahead of the season with the official celebration of Thanksgiving still being two weeks away, but this year seems a little different to me. Could it be the chill in the air or the decorations around every corner? Or maybe something more obvious such as the daily, bold reminders plastered on the internet and television?

Headlines such as:
“Missile strike on Pakistan tribal region kills 12”
“Acid attacks keep Afghan girls away from classes”
“Hamas fires heavier rockets at Isreal”
“Children separated from parents by Congo violence”

We could so easily focus on the other headlines regarding our own nation such as:
“Worse drop ever in retail sales; stocks fall”
“How to hold down heating costs this winter”

And while those issues, as well as others, are definitely items that can affect each of us as Americans, I wonder if anyone else profits from a reminder to check our worldview.

Although there are certainly days or moments when I become frustrated or overwhelmed by life itself, my eyes are opened considerably when I consider what a day entails for those in Pakistan, Israel, Afghanistan, or the Congo. My mind cannot fathom living in a constant state of fear. I cannot imagine being separated from my children due to continual military and militia combat. My heart breaks when I think about the 6-year old little girl who has been separated from her parents in the Congo as she “stared down at her grubby blue dress and said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "I'm afraid of bullets." My children have never known such trepidation and for that, along with the reasons aforementioned, I am so THANKFUL.

Are there experiences in our country that cause us to fear? Absolutely! But overall, how many of us awake each morning and wonder if we will be killed by a suicide bomber or whether a missile will be headed for our country? How many of us have been forced from our homes and placed in refugee camps?

I certainly do not intend to downplay the pain and heartache that as Americans we do face in our lives. But I also know that for me personally, I tend to, on occasion, need a “wake-up call” that takes my focus off of “me” and reminds me of how different life COULD be…and for that I give THANKS to the Lord…not just during this “season of Thanksgiving”, but each and every day.


*Thanks again Brandy, for the blog today.