Saturday, November 15, 2008

What gets lost...

I love the holidays....the craziness of it all, the food, the decorations, the lights, family time, spiritual time. I love it all! I'm finding it interesting as I venture out into the stores and hear the voices around me that we have skipped over what is such an important holiday......Thanksgiving. Christmas cards are out, shopping days have begun to be numbered, and the celebration has started. We are on to the next holiday before the previous has even departed. It's all delightful but I am finding myself having to make a deliberate decision to read the Pilgrim books or pull out the pilgrim decorations I have. This time was an extremely important time in American History and one in which I'm very thankful for. One in which I want to pass to my children.

Things in this life become so much about us. I slip into my selfishness and make my Christmas list of "needs"...I mean''wants" and find that I'm missing the most important Thing of all. I'm reminded every year as the holidays roll around that THIS YEAR I want to focus more on Christ in everything surrounding them. Not about my wants and even needs, but just about Him. Sharing with my children how everything is only foundational in Him. Pointing everything back to the cross of Christ.

So, as I venture into this Thanksgiving season, I dare not pass over it too quickly in our eagerness to celebrate Christmas. Because eventhough Christmas is a glorious celebration of His birth, I am overjoyed to give Him thanks because without Him, I'd be nothing.

8 comments:

Mari said...

What a great post Earen! I have always hated the rush to Christmas and the fact that Thanksgiving is overlooked or just a little blip on the radar that is counting down to Christmas.

joy said...

i was thinking the same thing, too. i need to slow down and appreciate thanksgiving and not just view it as a holiday to rush through in order to get to Christmas. thanks for sharing.

Shelley said...

I love Thanksgiving. It's like Christmas without all the extra craziness! This was a great post Earen, and a great reminder!

mariel said...

amen, girl! I recently blogged on the same idea! I LOVE Christmas...but Thanksgiving is so precious, I do not want to overlook it either! :) Have a blessed Thanksgiving season!

Alana said...

I couldn't agree more! I so enjoy my thankful list on the blog...it helps me focus on all I have to be thankful for!

BethAnne said...

I kind of see Thanksgiving and Christmas as one season......I love both holidays...at our house, since we have our families over for both days, we make Thanksgiving the beginning of the Christmas season and Christmas/New Years the ending...being thankful and celebrating Jesus' birth just seem to go hand in hand to me....so I guess I dont really rush through Thanksgiving, but I see it as the beginning of our month long holiday season.......

Fran said...

Hallelujah and Amen!!!! So beautifully said.

I love ya!

Jenni S. said...

Love this post! It is so true how much we have to be thankful for and how easily it is to gloss over Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy yours!