The holiday season is here. The trees that have been up in some stores since October are now appropriate for the season. Black Friday begins on Thanksgiving, holiday commercials are playing on the television, and we cannot seem to get away from retailers constantly bombarding us with coupons, online promotions and extended holiday hours. I am still trying to process Thanksgiving! We get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, trying to keep up and get the best bargains we can, wanting to show the ones closest to us how much we love them by giving them gifts. This season I want to make sure I don’t get caught up in the hype of the season.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon finds himself looking around at the work he has done, realizing that it was all pointless. He was “chasing after the wind.” We can feel the wind but never grasp it, no matter how hard we try. Chasing the wind is like keeping up the Jones’. We can never grab what they have, as hard as we try. It’s all about perspective. If we think about what makes us happy, such as a rewarding day of work, close friendships and relationships, and the simple things in life like food and sunlight, the air we breathe and the stars, we just can’t go wrong. And when we stop to think about those fleeting moments of enjoyment that are short lived versus the times we experience lasting joy, our perspective about our lives and the things that are most important bring us to a place of overwhelming gratitude.
When we learn to set our hearts on the simple favors of God, that’s when we can find our contentment and joy alone in the One who created us all.
Today I Am Thankful For:
- Borrowing an egg from a sweet neighbor
- Sunday afternoon at the park
- Fresh cornbread (with thanks to my sweet neighbor)
- Gum
- Homemade candles
