Thanksgiving is a season when families would gather and celebrate. Often the gathering is about food and more food.
This is also an opportunity for many to have a reprieve from the rigors of work as the days are considered public holidays.
But aside from the turkey and stuffing what do we really celebrate?
Tradition reminds that this is really a time to acknowledge the Divine Providence which sustained the pilgrims as they start living in the new land.
Given the challenges of winter and the difficulties of navigating new terrain, life was still preserved. And for this they were thankful!
So, this is what I am thankful for – LIFE!
I am deeply grateful to God for giving me life with all its luggage –
- the basics of food, clothing, and shelter;
- opportunity to experience wholeness; and
- joy in making a difference in others.
The basics
How pleasant it is to have adequate food to satisfy the pangs of hunger and thirst. How satisfying it is to have enough cover for the body especially as weather changes. And how comforting it is to return after the day to a place where one can rest a weary body and sheltered from the elements.
How much food, clothing, and shelter do we truly need to make us thankfully happy is a question that will be responded to relatively by each of us depending upon our history and reality!
What I learned is this: the more deprived I was in the past, the more I tend to compensate in the present.
And the compensation seems to be in the area of these basics.
Compensating, however, is not going to give lasting joy, although I concede will offer some fleeting pleasure.
Opportunity for wholeness
Life becomes even more exhilarating when the living pursues wholeness.
Shalom or eirene (peace coming from wholeness) is what humans are intended to experience. Common English equivalents of the word are maturity, completeness, fullness, and wellbeing.
Wholeness, however, has several dimensions: spiritual; emotional/psychological; relational; occupational; physical; recreational; and ecological.
Each of these dimensions has to be nurtured to pursue a well-balanced life.
One should not be taken as a substitute for another or to be neglected in favor of the other.
A neglect in any dimension will mean unwholeness. When this occurs one experiences what many refer to as breaking into pieces.
And when fragmentation of the self occurs, it is rather difficult to experience real thankfulness.
Joy in making a difference
Although this could be a part of the relational dimension of wholeness, it deserves a separate discussion.
We are all creatures of and for a relationship. We came here on earth because of a relationship.
We will navigate life with the presence or absence of supportive relationships. And we will face death with either riches or poverty of relationship.
So, the question for one who wishes to live life in its fullness is not: Am I going to have relationships or not?
The proper question is: How do I establish and nurture loving relationships?
Well, the quality-loving relationship is three directional: with God, with self, and with others.
When I appropriate the love of God for me, I start having a restored divine-human relationship.
When I experience this restoration I also begin embracing my own personal significance and lovability.
As a result of my personal restoration, I begin to relate to others with integrity.
This is when life starts to make a difference in others.
Developmental psychologists have coined a term called generativity- to generate oneself in others with creativity.
It describes how a changed life can be aligned with others so that they are attracted to the changes they observe and wish these to be in them as well.
Call it mentorship, discipleship, or sponsorship – they share the same principle: Be the change you wish others to become!
As this becomes a matter of lifestyle, one would have more than enough reasons to be thankful!
So, you wish to be thankful for life my friend? I share some ingredients with you. But you have to decide to cook the recipe yourself!
Shalom and be generous with your smile!
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