I love the Thanksgiving season.  What a great time of year this is to pause and ... eat, watch football, spend time with family and friends, take long naps, eat some more, watch more football, shop good deals...oops, and oh yeah, give thanks to God for His blessings.

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, I am amazed at how this holiday gets swallowed up by the commercialization of Christmas.  When I think of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the verse in James that says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (James 1:17 NKJV)  This should remain the time of year that we pause to reflect and give thanks for all that God has done for us.  And boy, hasn't God been faithful!!  Just think of all of the blessings that come from Him.  His mercies are new every morning, and His grace is abundantly awesome!

Make sure this Thanksgiving that we give God thanks and discipline ourselves to remember Him and His goodness in a culture that increasingly wants to crowd Him out of this time of year.  It does take discipline to do that.  To pause.  To remember.  To be thankful.  Nothing that we have came to be of our own strength and will.  It is ALL because of the goodness of our God!

So enjoy the football, family, friends, and food.  And thank the Lord for your blessings.  And don't let Thanksgiving be swallowed up by preparations for Christmas.  I am trying this year to discipline myself to remember the Lord more, to eat a whole lot less, and give God thanks in the middle of the busy-ness of the season.  (By the way...I am not there yet...we already have all of our Christmas decorations and lights up, inside and outside the house...)

Happy Thanksgiving!!