Local pastors shares thoughts of thankfulness

  • Shelly Webb
  • November 19, 2011
  • 315
                        
Summary- Everyone of us has many things to be thankful for, things that don’t have to be measured in monetary value, things that are priceless but free and most of all things that are ‘little’ but huge. Story- What are you thankful for? In a time when the stock market is down, unemployment is up and the entire world seems on the brink of war or economic upheaval some of us may not ‘feel’ so thankful this year. But being thankful should never be measured in the tangible. The things we are most thankful for can’t be priced or valued, for they are irreplaceable and it’s a great feeling to know those blessings are never going anywhere regardless of life’s circumstances. Pastor Roberta Fuller of Killbuck United Methodist Church knows exactly what ‘thanksgiving’ is about and she is most thankful for the peace and stability she finds in Christ despite living in a world that seems out of control. “The one thing that I am grateful for no matter how the rest of my world is spinning is the love God has for us,” Fuller shared. “Friends and family may leave us or ignore us; but God is always there.” Pastor Jeremy Miller of Christian Mennonite Assembly agrees with Fuller and recognizes that the greatest blessing anyone can have in their life is Christ. “I know this probably sounds cliché, but, to be honest if we have Christ, we have everything,” Miller said. “So often we forget that there is more to this world and more to life then our jobs, our friends, and even our families. The Bible tells us we are aliens and strangers here. This world, as we know it, is not our final destination. Therefore, if I have Christ, I could lose everything else, including my kids, and still have everything. Believe me! I don't want to lose my family, my job, or my friends. But because I have Christ, I can be thankful in any circumstance, with little or much. I'm only here for a little while and I know the best is yet to come.” Fuller knows that not everyone believes that God is really “always there” and some even want proof. For Fuller she has all the proof she needs. “I see it (the proof) in nature,” she said. “No matter what our circumstances are, we can rely on God's faithfulness towards us. The sun comes up every day, gravity holds us in place, the seasons come and go; there is a consistency in our universe that I find comforting and consoling when everything else seems to be falling apart.” Even though we have a national holiday set aside to offer thanks, there are many people in the world that fall into an attitude of ‘not being thankful’ and ‘always wanting more’. It’s not hard to find yourself feeling that way in today’s culture of material worth. Just take a look at the nightly news and there are all types of movements and organizations demanding more of what they believe is their fair share. Fuller thinks that our culture has actually programmed us to believe that our worth is in what we have amassed and sometimes insecurities cause us to want more and be discontent. “We are insecure in our worth and our values so having "stuff" shows we are smart, capable, hard working and savvy,” she said. “It is our culture that tries to push this kind of thinking on us. There is even a bumper sticker that states, “He who dies with the most toys wins." But wins what, I wonder? I prefer the bumper sticker that says "I have never seen a U-Haul attached to a hearse.” Miller thinks sometimes people can become ungrateful and want more because they believe this world is all there is and there’s nothing to look forward too. “I think the reason we become ungrateful is because we often believe this world is all there is,” he shared. “If we believe this life is it and then its over, we can't help but become a little greedy, selfish, and ultimately disappointed when not every dream we have comes true. The way of Jesus (and true thanksgiving) is to give up our fear of losing and discontentment with life, because we know this is not all there is to our existence.” Keeping material things, money and the true meaning of being thankful in perspective is very important. In most cases our children, friends and family members would much rather have our time than our money. Building memories that will last long after you’re gone is the best way to celebrate any holiday. “I have never sat at the bed side of a person who was dying and heard them say, “Oh if I had just spent more money on my son or daughter or whomever””, Fuller said. “But what I have heard them say is, “Oh how I wish I had spent more time with my husband, wife, kids, grandchildren, friends. The bottom line is, relationships and people are what matters most, not how much money you have or the things you have. But until we distill life down to the things that matter most we will continue to be trapped by the nonessential things.” One other concept Fuller and Miller both expressed was the need to teach our children thankfulness by example. “I think the best way we teach thankfulness to our children is by showing it- by taking time each day at the dinner table to ask, ‘what are you thankful for today?,” Fuller said. “Of living a life where we show our thankfulness for what we have by sharing with others by volunteering, throwing our loose change in a jar and at the end of each month giving it to a charity. Live the life of thankfulness and your children will live it too.” Teaching kids to be ‘givers’ is another way Miller believes we can instill an attitude of thankfulness and love into our children. “Teach them to give,” he said. “Teach them to share with others. Take your children to a soup kitchen to help serve the needy. Sit down with your kids at Christmas with a World Vision catalog and buy a Somali mother a goat for Christmas as a family. Make sure they save and give away a percentage of their allowance every week or month. Ask them to give away one of their toys periodically. Let them see you give generously to others. Set the example. Generous people are thankful people. Generous kids are thankful kids.”


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