Thanksgiving and Christmas time are upon us.  Do you find it difficult to slow down and ponder the true meaning of these holidays?   I sure do.   It often seems that my time becomes dictated by events and decisions which I only have a little control over.  My time seems dictated by the media, by commercialism and even by friends and relatives.   Can you relate to my experience?   Ironically, what I tend to most enjoy is the hardest.  Slowing down and contemplating Thanksgiving, Christmas, God and His nature.

In recent years I have been struck by the importance of thankfulness and gratitude in the Christian life.  I have seen God grow in me an appreciation and thankfulness for many things; relationships and material blessings.   And through this I have found that I am becoming more content with less.  I am finding that things do not have as much of a hold on me but that my relationships have increased in number and depth.

Another interesting aspect I have found regarding thankfulness is in the prayers of the apostle Paul.   Paul starts his epistle prayers thanking God for those believers.   I have now made this a practice in my prayer life; to thank God for my fellow believers before praying for anything else on their behalf.  This simple act has grown my love for them and my appreciation of them.

Note the phrases in these epistle prayers:

• Ephesians 1:15-16  For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
• Philippians 1:3-6  I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 1:3-4  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.
• I Thessalonians 1:2-3  We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.  We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Will you join me in being thankful this holiday season?  Both of these holidays have their roots in an acknowledgement of our God.   Thank God for your material blessings.   Thank God for your spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ.  Thank God for your fellow believers.   Will you slow down this season?   Will you carve out the time needed to contemplate?  To ponder?   To reflect on our great God?    My prayer for you is that you will.

Superintendent
Heritage Christian School