November 26, 2014

Be Kind

 

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

-- Matthew 5:7

Thanksgiving Eve makes us think of turkey and dressing and family gatherings. For many of us, that's what Thanksgiving means. But not for everyone.

What do you remember about Thanksgiving? The real one. With pilgrims and Indians and a feast. The Indians were merciful. They paid for it later, in ways they could never imagine. But they showed mercy on people who truly didn't have a clue.

Do we? Do we show mercy? During your Thanksgiving feast do you invite those beyond your family? Do you include the lost and forgotten, those without family, those without anywhere else to go? Are you merciful? Are you kind? Compassionate? Or so focused on your own holiday that you forget that others face a lonely holiday?

We're all in an uproar over shopping on this man-made holiday. Who cares? It's not about us. It's not about eating or shopping or watching football. It's about giving thanks -- and passing it on.

We don't need a holiday to be thankful. We shouldn't need anything other than the blessing of this day to give thanks to God for all He does for us. And yet we do. Somehow, we do. We get busy. We forget. We get so caught up in ourselves that we ignore the hurting, the lonely, the unlovely, among us. We forget to be merciful.

Today is a day of celebration. However you do that, remember that the first Thanksgiving happened because native Americans showed mercy and kindness. Do likewise.