Making sure to give thanks

I can't believe it is Thanksgiving already. Where has the time gone? This has been a year of ups and downs for me. In life, it is all too easy to get caught up in focusing on the bad and forgetting to be thankful for all that is good in my life. Thankfulness is essential. Giving thanks changes your heart. It takes your heart from a place of want to a place of praise. If you can remember to be thankful during the difficult times, you can find peace in the midst of life's storms.

I know when I spend too much time thinking about the things I want versus being thankful for all that I already have my heart is not in the right place. It's funny; I read a meme the other day that said: "November...the month where people who have complained on Facebook for the past 11 months become thankful for 30 days." I laughed, of course; but there is some truth in that statement. This should not be. Being thankful should be an all the time thing, not a seasonal one.

I have been blessed with plenty, even in the times when I have been the most down. The blessings may not have always been evident to me at the time, but looking back, I can see where the blessings were. I can pick out times when the words of a friend lifted me back up. I see the times where I thought I just could not go on, but somehow I made it through. There were definitely times where the kindness of strangers made all the difference in the world. I am thankful for all of these moments and the people who helped me make it through.

I'm still a work in progress in this area. I still need reminders to be thankful, so this is a good week for this post. One day I hope I will be able to be thankful during any situation in life, but I'm not there yet. Life can be crazy sometimes, but when I take the time to focus, I do find I almost always have something to be thankful for. Sometimes I am too blind to see it, but when I do, I really do find peace in the middle of life's storms. During this Thanksgiving week, I hope you will too.

'Tis the season...already?

I've never been much of a Christmas person. I was when I was a kid, but numerous bad experiences over the years have turned me into a bit of a Scrooge. I know what you are thinking: a pastor who doesn't care for Christmas, is that possible? I like the meaning of it all, but I prefer to let the holiday pass me by if I can. Recently, I have been working on changing my perspective of the holiday season.

Up until a few years ago, I relied heavily on my Christmas ambassador. No joke, I have a friend that loves Christmas enough for the both of us. Whenever anyone would try to talk to me about anything Christmas related, I would refer them to my Christmas ambassador, who handles all of my Christmas dealings. My Christmas ambassador is still around, but I am putting a lot more effort into turning myself into an actual Christmas person. Needless to say, I'm still a work in progress in this area.

I just don't have that deep-rooted love of Christmas that a lot of people have. So, now about why I am writing this post. The way Christmas is becoming more and more commercialized makes it difficult for a person like me to get into the spirit of things. There was a time when I could count on the local radio station switching to Christmas music on or after Thanksgiving day. The lights go up around town around the same time, and stores put out all of their Christmas stuff.

This year, I saw Christmas stuff out before Halloween. I have been receiving ads for Black Friday for weeks now. To make matters even stranger, the local radio station that normally plays Christmas music around Thanksgiving started playing Christmas music today. This is crazy! When did we start celebrating Christmas so early? At this rate, in a few years we will be starting Christmas celebrations in the middle of summer, instead of December. The term "Winter Wonderland" will be a distant memory.

To each their own, I guess? I have friends that don't mind Christmas starting earlier and earlier. It might be just me, but I think when a holiday like Christmas becomes too commercialized the holiday loses meaning. If a holiday becomes meaningless, is there any need to continue to celebrate the holiday? You see my predicament? How am I supposed to get into the Christmas spirit when all of the wonderful things about the Christmas season is being stripped away so retailers can turn a profit?

I really want to be that adult that holds on to his inner child and celebrates Christmas joyfully. I want to be that person who learns the meaning of Christmas like the folks in the movies. I especially want to celebrate Christmas to the fullest like Clark Griswold or Elf for my children, but it sure is difficult. Anyway, enjoy your holiday season, my friends. Wish me luck, this could be the year I actually enjoy Christmas!