Jill and I watched about five minutes of the parade on TV. We hadn’t watched TV in about six months, so it was weird. I was struck by how little of the parade had to do with Thanksgiving. It featured Spongebob, the Energizer Bunny, girls on a float singing about how cool they were, Hello Kitty, etc. And the announcers were very annoying. In fact, Jill JUST said to me from the kitchen, “The parade is really just a commercial event.”
I’m not thankful for TV or dumb parades, I just had to get that off my chest.
This Thanksgiving, a part of what I’m thankful for is what I *don’t* have. Check out the following verses from Proverbs 30:
“Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Most of us think that if we had more money, we could be more generous. But it’s very rare for more money to make people generous – it usually has the opposite effect. Jesus said it’s more difficult for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God… perhaps this is why?
I am thankful for a lot of things. I have a wonderful wife, a house to live in, awesome toys, and many luxuries. I have everything I need and much more. In fact there are times that I worry that I’m too rich. Am I in danger of disowning God because I have too much, or putting my trust in my riches?
I hope that I can make the request in Proverbs my request. Just what I need to live, and some luxuries. Not too much, please, lest I be in danger of being tempted by things like pride, materialism, and envy. That’s why I’m thankful that I don’t have more than I do. I’m very happy with what I have!
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