The Thanksgiving Killer

(The following is the introduction to a message from Thanksgiving weekend 2003.  Thought it was worth repeating.)

 

How was your Thanksgiving?  Mine?  Well, we filled up on turkey, honey ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, rice and gravy, cream corn, dressing, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli casserole, mmm, mmm.  For dessert, we had red velvet cake, pecan pie, coconut cake, fudge, and chocolate chip cookies.

 

When I walked in the kitchen to see all of the work that went into the meal it looked like the first three rows at a Gallagher show. 

 

We all sat back stuffed, miserable, and grateful for all of the food.  We reflected on the past and dreamed about the future.  We enjoyed seeing family and friends that we don’t often see.  Later that night, I went to bed grateful for all the blessings that I have.

 

Then the Thanksgiving killer arrived.  Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving when Christmas shopping officially begins. It is represented by this huge newspaper that arrived at my house.  The largest newspaper of the year with sales inserts galore.  Virtually every retail store in Augusta has an ad or insert in here.

 

Why is this the Thanksgiving killer?  Because on Thanksgiving Day, we thought about all that we have and we were grateful.  But on the day after Thanksgiving through the rest of the holidays, we focus not on what we have but on what we want.

 

The Thanksgiving killer is the Christmas commercialism that says we need more.  Just when we have a day to be thankful for all of our blessings, the Thanksgiving killers show up and tell us that we will not be happy until we have something more.

 

Someone wrote, “Half the world is unhappy because it can’t have the things that are making the other half unhappy.”

 

Author Steve Brown writes, “The most unhappy person in the world is not someone who didn’t get what he or she wanted. The most unhappy person is the one who got what he or she wanted and then found out that it wasn’t as wonderful as expected. The secret of a happy life is not to get what you want but to live with what you’ve got. Most of us spend our lives concentrating on what we don’t have instead of thanking God for what we do have.” (Servant Magazine, September, 1993, p. 8)

 

Our problem is that we are looking at the Christmas catalogs focusing on what we want rather than looking at our photo albums and rejoicing in what we have!

The Sin of Busyness

Busyness is the American way.  It’s an expectation.  It’s a status symbol.  We greet each other with “How’s it going?”  “Busy” is the reply.  You don't have to have small children to be busy.  You can have a job, serve in a volunteer organization or two, take a class, and be active in the church and you'll have a full calendar.  My in-laws have been retired for many years now and they claim that they are busier now than ever. 

 

There's an old saying that says, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."  I believe that busyness is the devil's workshop too.  There’s a line to be drawn somewhere between busyness and laziness.  If idleness is the devil’s workshop and busyness is the devil’s workshop then how do we get into God’s workshop?  As God’s people, we are to be progressing, moving along, and growing.  But it is necessary for us to know the difference between progress and pressure.  A Christian should always be progressing but rarely in a hurry.  Where to draw that line between busyness and laziness can only be determined by you and God.

 

It isn't wrong to be busy.  Look through the Bible and you'll see godly men and women who were busy.  Moses, David, Joshua, and Paul were busy doing God’s work.  But you need to know that a busyness that is not directed by God is not blessed by God.  Busyness can devastate your spiritual life as easily as idleness can.  Jesus did not say, “I have come so that you can be busy.”  He said, “I have come that you may have life.”

 

One of the keys to living a satisfying Christian life is finding that path that allows you to progress and grow and serve as a Christian at a pace that doesn't create burnout and broken dreams.