A Thought For The Week Of October 8

Thought for the week: "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’" (Acts 20:35) Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The holiday was established by a proclamation of Parliament on January 31, 1957 that designated "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." I have no argument with that. As a nation we should be grateful for the blessings we have, and as the people of God (no matter what country we're from) we should always be thankful to God, who is always with us, and whose love for us is a constant. We need to remember, however, that our gratitude should be for more than simply what we've been given - because that implies that we think of what we've been given as ours. I'd prefer to think of Thanksgiving Day (or of the spirit of thanksgiving) as a reminder to be thankful for what we're able to give, rather than simply for what we have. If, indeed, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" then it seems to me that giving back, helping "the weak," and somehow being there for those who are less fortunate is the best way to live with a spirit of thanksgiving. Tomorrow, I get a chance to help serve at an Out of the Cold Dinner. That's an act of thanksgiving because I can give back in time and service by helping those less fortunate. I encourage all of you to find ways to give back. That's the best way of remembering those words of Jesus; "it is more blessed to give than to receive." Have a great week!