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Bread for the Journey


Thanksgiving Day

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day in our complex with a potluck in our clubhouse.

I was seated  beside an older man who is a confirmed and very vocal atheist.
He chose an ice-breaker question from the bowl of printed slips of paper
 in the center of the table, and directed the question to me. 
  "If you were stranded on a deserted island what is the one thing you would wish 
you had with you?"  
I gave him my immediate answer, "My Bible."   
He gave me a bit of a stunned look but made no comment until a few minutes later, 
when he leaned toward me and said,
 "The reason I wouldn't take a Bible is because I only read non-fiction." 
I smiled and didn't 'bite'. 

I recently read that there is a difference between being thankful and gratitude. 
Thankful is something you feel,
but gratitude takes thankfulness to the level where the feeling
must be expressed to the one responsible for what made you thankful.
If we deny God and refuse to acknowledge all He has done for us - 
 gratitude has no expression, since all good gifts come from Him.  
It is like receiving a 'perfect' and generous gift from an anonymous giver,
that leaves us with that stuffed-up feeling of gratitude because it has no where to go! 

Tomorrow is the Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday
 - the one day of the year
when we know the word 'thanksgiving' will be spoken by most everyone.  
But let us do more than verbalize the word;
let us remember to Whom we owe thanksgiving for the bountiful blessings 
we are so grateful for.

I challenge you to make a 'thankful' list today or tomorrow 
and see how full and blessed your life is. 
Many studies have shown that a thankful attitude changes our lives
 -  it makes us healthier and happier.  
But didn't God tell us that a long time ago? 

 "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I Thessalonians 5:18

A Blessed Thanksgiving Day to you all ... 
whether you are celebrating the day or not!

6 comments:

  1. Thank you Julie for these thoughts on gratitude and being thankful! Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in Canada!

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  2. And you know that you planted a seed with that man. Good job. We as Christians are called to walk the walk, because non-believers are watching and they are seeking something; they just haven't figured out yet that it's God.

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  3. Ha! I might not have been able to resist the temptation of answering "Do you really want to argue with a librarian about the meaning of the word 'non-fiction'?"

    (Take a look at the non-fiction section sometime. It contains not only the Bible, but also poetry, folklore, books about telekinesis and aliens, and lots of other interesting material.)

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  4. So enjoyed Bread for the Journey today. Thank you for your insight!

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  5. Happy Thanksgiving. I truly feel I am blessed. Yes I have lost people that I love. Yes I have had some hard times. Yes I have had people turn against me. Yes I have had all those things but I do have family and friends that love me and whom I love. I feel blessed with that - not the material things I have but the love I have.

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  6. Thanks for your inspiring devotional. Thanks also for showing us the difference in thanks and gratitude.

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