Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“The weariness which is felt by us in leaving pursuits to which we ·are attached. A man dwells at home with pleasure; but if he sees a woman who charms him, or if he enjoys himself in play for five or six days, he is miserable if he return to his former way of living. Nothing is more common than that.”

• Blaise Pascal, Thoughts (thought number 128)

Blaise Pascal, in his book, Thoughts (Pensées), organizes his thoughts by topic.  This one was in the section on “The Misery of Man without God.”  But I see this all the time with God fearing people.  Okay, the man desiring a woman that he just gazed upon as she walked down the street?  Maybe not outwardly, maybe not even with anyone else noticing.  But men are human, and some men notice such women, even Christians.  Doing something about it though …

But have you ever approached Sunday when you have been off work for a while and you spend the day in dread because vacation is over, the holiday weekend is over (although many holidays in the USA are forced upon Monday to facilitate the three-day weekend), or the fall or spring break is over?

If you do that, you ruin one of the days of that break.  With it being a Sunday, you go to your local house of worship, if that is your custom, in a poor mood in which to praise and worship God because by this time tomorrow, you will be at work.  Of course, with varying customs around the world or with rotating shift workers, your break may not be ending on the Sunday, and with some religions or even Christian denominations, the worship is not on Sunday morning.  But my point here is that we ruin part of the rest and relaxation by tensing up ahead of time in dread of what is coming.

And yet, we “say” that we love our job.  I have had grandchildren who would be happy and dancing in August because they were going to school the next day, but then again, they had never by then had a boss breathing down their necks.  And yes, I suggested to their parents that these children be tested.  And my grandchildren are all reasonably sane.

But I think the reason that Blaise Pascal put this thought in his misery of unbelievers is that with God in our lives, the fun and games is not our source of Joy, Jesus is.  Resting for a week is not our source of strength, Jesus is.  And our hope is in Jesus, not in the fact that January is coming, and I will get so many days of vacation for next year.  Not that I have not had that thought when I was working.

Wait, I will still write.  I just do not get paid.  And those national holidays mean that I do not have to interrupt my day to check the mail.  More writing time…

But in considering what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, when it comes to worshipping and praising God, is that limited to one hour on Sunday morning?  Not hardly.

So, in the USA, there will be those people who work harder than they do the rest of the year, preparing for and having Black Friday.  There will be others that treat the Thanksgiving holiday the same as any other day (although they might get more pay that day).  Then some people get off just on Thursday.  Others get off Thursday and Friday.  And some people have to take vacation because their children got the entire week off and someone has to stay home and take care of them.

Regardless of your situation, the holiday should be a focus more on what wonderful things God has done for us this year, and what wonderful things He continues to do.  We should be grateful to the other humans around us, but especially grateful to God.

It makes it hard to do that when our mind is thinking, “Rats, I have to go to work tomorrow.”

Rejoice always.  Pray continually.  And give thanks regardless of the situation you are in.

We should glorify God simply because He is God, the Creator, the Sovereign Lord, but on Thanksgiving, let us remember, as we should every day, for the things He has done.  I know, I have used this song recently, but here you get to see the performers singing it.

May you have a grateful, and wonderful, Thanksgiving Day next week, or whenever you celebrate it.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.