Vitamin T
Rev. Al Areheart
Friday, November 2, 2007
November is one of my favorite months.
I love fall weather. But more than that I start thinking about Thanksgiving and it always affects my perspective.
Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday — but kind of a “Rodney Dangerfield — it never gets the respect that it should. So I am declaring November — ”Thanksgiving Month.” I am proposing that you take the time to jot down at least one thing every day for which you are thankful. If you are really adventurous — go ahead and write down more. If you are over-the-top, share your gratitude with another person.
Deborah Norville has written a book, Thank You Power that extols the virtues of being a grateful person. Using the research of Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at University of California, she found that people who focused on being thankful were: more optimistic, more energetic, more enthusiastic, more determined, and more joyful. In addition, they exercised more, had fewer illnesses, and were more likely to have helped someone else. What a magical elixir!
The original “Turkey-eaters,” ye Pilgrims of yesteryear, had little of what we think that we must have to be thankful. It makes you wonder if it is really how much we have or maybe it is a totally different approach to life. I am quite sure it is the latter. A good friend of mine who grew up very poor and became quite prosperous, told me that he had decided to be thankful for everything that anyone did for him. It is like taking off the “Expectations Glasses” and putting on a new set that has no expectations, just gratitude at anything good that happens. “Gratitude has the potential to change everything from its ordinary state to being a gift,” says Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina.
Looking at this through a Christian worldview, this makes sense. After all, many of the sins that wreck us are the overflow of ingratitude. Take the “Seven Deadly Sins,” Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Lust and Gluttony. We envy what others have instead of being thankful for what we have. We become angry because we are not satisfied (or thankful) with ___________(fill in the blank.) Lust is looking over the fence and wanting another pasture instead of being thankful for the one that we have. We greedily gather dollars to hoard up for ourselves with little sense of being thankful for what we already have.
Let’s take this a step farther. We must acknowledge that life has the rain along with the sunshine. The Christian dimension, based on trust in a sovereign, omnipotent, eternal God, enables us to give thanks in all circumstances. If the God of the Bible is real, then gratitude is not only about my expectations, but is a faith expression in the dark times of adversity. The prescription is given to the Christian community at Thessalonica — “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Will you declare November “Thanksgiving Month?” Choosing to be thankful is like taking a daily vitamin that nourishes your soul. Happy Thanksgiving!
F “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Al Areheart of Twelfth Avenue Baptist Church.