Things I Think About

Let’s Not Forget to be Thankful

/ kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

In the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday is a day where family and friends gather around the table and stuff themselves with foods like turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, among other things. They may take a few minutes to take turns around the table stating something they’re thankful for, but after the food, thankfulness is forgotten and the following day — Black Friday — they’re rushing around stores trying to take advantage of the sales to purchase gifts for family and friends for next month’s holiday, Christmas. Or, maybe they’re purchasing their Christmas trees, greens, and other decorations and preparing for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

So, Thanksgiving gets a nod, maybe a day or two, and Christmas gets a month of preparation — decorating, shopping, and gift wrapping, as well as Christmas parties, caroling, and other Christmas events.

But do either of these holidays get the attention they deserve?

We, believers/Christians, do not have many holidays to celebrate, and I know some people would argue that Easter and Christmas aren’t really Christian holidays, but pagan holidays and that we don’t know the exact dates that Jesus was born and died and rose again. As far as I’m concerned, that’s not the point. The point is that we should want to celebrate these holidays to spend time focusing on Christ because of what He did for us — embracing them for what they mean to us.

And, as for Thanksgiving, yes, I know that began when the pilgrims and American Indians celebrated a grand harvest together, but they were thanking God for that provision, and if we stop to think about all the things that we have in our homes, in our lives, we have those things because of God’s provision.

We should always take time to spend reading God’s word which is our guidebook for life. We should take time to pray — to speak with our heavenly Father — to thank Him for the many things He blesses us with: a talent and job that allows us to use that talent, a home and everything that’s in it, and our transportation — most of us have one or two cars in our driveways. But beyond the material things, He blesses us with food, good friends, and family, and hopefully, that includes a good church family where we go, not only to worship Him and hear his word preached, but also, to serve Him by serving in our church in some capacity.

In regard to all of this, we should be thankful, not just on Thanksgiving day, but everyday. We should be able to see at least one thing each and every day to thank the Lord for.

I hope you will give this post some thought and make thanking the Lord something you do on a regular basis, and next year, when Thanksgiving comes around, I hope you’ll be able to look back on the previous twelve months of the year, (from Thanksgiving this year, November 2023 to Thanksgiving next year, November 2024), and remember things you gave thanks to the Lord for.

This year, our Pastor has challenged us to write down our prayer requests throughout the year, and if or when we see God answer them, go back and write down when and how He answered. Then look back through that journal or tablet on Thanksgiving to see all the things God has done for you. I’m going to take that challenge, and I hope you will too. This should not only help us to have plenty to thank the Lord for on Thanksgiving, but it should help us establish a habit of Thanksgiving to the Lord.

Do We Have a Responsibility in Regard to Our Entertainment?

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Entertainment surrounds us — social media, movies, music, books, DVDs. It invades our sight, our hearing, our minds, and our hearts. Therefore, don’t we have a responsibility to be careful about what entertainment we allow to invade us?

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is a book of wisdom and in that book it says, “Pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”  (Proverbs 4:20-27)

Also, in the book of Philippians we read, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Therefore, it is my understanding that we are responsible for whatever we fill our senses, our minds and our hearts with.

So, why am I talking about this? Because of a brief conversation I had with some friends recently. These friends are also believers, and we were talking about writing and one mentioned the writings of Diana Gabaldon, especially her “Outlander” series, to which I commented, “that’s garbage”. Two of my friends responded with, “No, it’s not. Her writing is fantastic.”

Now, I will admit that I have not actually read any of Diana Gabaldon’s works. So maybe she is a very skilled writer. However, I do know that her Outlander series has a lot of explicit sex in it, and a lot of it is rape, which she romanticizes.

In my opinion, that is wrong, and it certainly isn’t something I want to read and invade my mind and heart with.

Whenever I’ve made these comments about Ms. Gabaldon’s writing, I’ve heard the same thing from both Christian and non-Christian women who read these books, “That was the way it was in that place and time period.”

To which I must say, “I’m sure that NOT EVERY male/female relationship in that place and time period involved rape, just as I’m sure that EVERY woman who has ever been raped has experienced a violent, invasive, traumatic event and would not find it in the least bit romantic. Therefore, I find it irresponsible that a writer would have women romanticizing and fantasizing about their rapist(s) and the act of rape.

I find it disappointing and disheartening that Christian women are reading such things and finding them great entertainment. I refuse to read that type of so-called entertainment.

I am also very careful with what I write because I do not want to be responsible for leading someone down a crooked path. I don’t write preachy stories or stories that will have a strictly “Christian” label, but I do write with the same responsibility with which I read, and though my characters face temptation and sometimes yield to it just as any human, they will also grow and learn and find redemption.